IWATE (TR) – A male worker died after he was buried alive while working alone inside a sand storage tank at a concrete factory in Kitakami City on Saturday, police said.
According to Iwate Prefectural Police, Hiroyuki Sato, 37, was breaking up hardened sand alone inside an 8-meter-tall storage tank when his footing gave way and buried him alive at around 3 p.m., according to Iwate Broadcasting (Apr. 30).
Sato was rescued in an unconscious state about 2.5 hours later by authorities and transported to a hospital, where his death was confirmed.
Police are questioning his colleagues and investigating the circumstances of the incident.
