Three workers died of poisoning and another was affected when working on sewage pipe maintenance on Tuesday morning in Hangzhou, capital of east China's Zhejiang Province.

 

The incident occurred when two workers at a large sewage treatment plant in the Xiaoshan district of the city were repairing valves at 8:00 A.M., according to the local work safety watchdog.

 

Overcome by gas coming from the sewage they apparently fell into the sump and died.

 

Two other workers who went down to assist their colleagues were also poisoned. One managed to climb out of the sump and is now out of danger but his colleague succumbed to the fumes.

 

(Xinhua News Agency February 7, 2007)