TWO men fell into a sewage manhole and died while they were working.
This happened at the Kolonnade Shopping Mall in Tshwane.
Tshwane Emergency Services spokesman Charles Mabaso said incidents like this were rare in Tshwane.
“The cause of the accident is being investigated by police and the names of the dead are being withheld until their next of kin are informed,” said Mabaso.
He said the two men, aged 38 and 39, were allegedly unblocking a drain next to the manhole when one of them fell in.
“It is unclear how the second person fell into the 5 metre hole,” said Mabaso.
“Manholes can have oxygen deficient atmospheres which have the potential to suffocate someone in a short space of time.”
He said the men were recovered by emergency services.
“Emergency services were called to the scene, where they found two unresponsive bodies lying on top of each other.”
Emergency services had to use a special rope and confined space equipment to conduct the recovery.
“It took emergency services 20 minutes to recover both bodies,” he said.
Mabaso advised people working in confined spaces and manholes to observe all the necessary safety precautions and to ensure they wore the proper protective equipment.
