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Worker who went missing in Incheon manhole died from gas poisoning, preliminary autopsy says

Published: 08 Jul. 2025, 14:09 Updated: 08 Jul. 2025, 18:26

Officials search inside a manhole on July 6 in Incheon in search of a worker who went missing earlier in the day. [YONHAP]

A man in his 50s who went missing and was later found dead after falling into a manhole in Incheon is believed to have died from gas poisoning, according to a preliminary autopsy report.

The Incheon Metropolitan Police Agency said Tuesday that the National Forensic Service delivered an initial oral opinion indicating that the 52-year-old day laborer “likely died from gas poisoning.” The specific type of gas has not yet been identified, and additional toxicological analysis is needed. No external injuries that could be linked to the cause of death were found.

The worker was discovered in cardiac arrest at 10:49 a.m. Monday at the Gulpo Stream water reclamation center in Incheon, approximately 1 kilometer (0.62 miles) from the manhole where he had initially gone missing, according to the Incheon Fire Service.

Emergency responders began searching for the man after receiving a report at 9:22 a.m. Sunday that a worker had fallen into a manhole in Byeongbang-dong, Gyeyang District, Incheon. The victim was inspecting sewage pipelines beneath the manhole as part of a geographic information system (GIS) database project commissioned by the Environmental Corporation of Incheon when he collapsed, possibly due to toxic gases such as hydrogen sulfide and carbon monoxide.

Another worker involved in the project was also found in cardiac arrest and remains in intensive care.

The rescue team from the Gyeyang Fire Station inserts an endoscopic camera into a manhole on a road in Gyeyang District, Incheon on July 6 to search for a worker who went missing inside. [YONHAP]

Police believe the workers were not wearing even the most basic safety equipment, such as oxygen masks, when they entered the manhole. Investigators are currently investigating the precise cause of the accident.

Although the Environmental Corporation of Incheon, which commissioned the project, is legally responsible for supervising the worksite under the Occupational Safety and Health Act, it was reportedly unaware that work was scheduled to take place that day.

Authorities have also uncovered evidence suggesting that the workers were operating within an illegal three-tier subcontracting structure — meaning that a subcontractor had subcontracted another company — in violation of the original contract that prohibited subcontracting without the commissioning agency’s approval. The workers appear to have carried out the task without proper safety protocols in place.

Officials search inside a manhole on July 6 in Incheon in search of a worker who went missing earlier in the day. [YONHAP]

Police said they will investigate whether the contractors were properly licensed and whether the project followed legal procedures.

President Lee Jae Myung issued a directive in response to the manhole incident, calling for “extraordinary measures to end workplace deaths.”

Public relations secretary Lee Kyu-youn said in a briefing that the president “emphasized the need to thoroughly investigate whether there were any lapses in on-site safety management and to determine if the Serious Accidents Punishment Act or any other relevant laws were violated, with strict accountability for those responsible.”

The Jungbu Regional Employment and Labor Office also said it would investigate potential violations of the Serious Accidents Punishment Act by the companies involved.

Translated from the JoongAng Ilbo using generative AI and edited by Korea JoongAng Daily staff.
BY LEE JI-YOUNG, PARK JONG-SUH, OH SO-YEONG [[email protected]]