New tragedy at work in Casteldaccia, Sicily: five of the seven workers died from inhaling a toxic gas. A sixth, in critical condition, is hospitalized in intensive care. Meloni: “Let there be full clarity”
This afternoon five workers died while working on the sewerage system of Casteldaccia, in the province of Palermo, probably due to fumes inhaled while they were working inside a wastewater lifting tank. A sixth worker was seriously injured and is currently hospitalized in the intensive care unit at the Polyclinic of the Sicilian capital. The six workers worked with Quadrifoglio Group, the company that operates on behalf of Amap, the Palermo public company that manages water and sewerage pipes in the city. In total, there were seven workers working in that section of the sewerage network: the last one, who remained unharmed, managed to raise the alarm.
According to an initial reconstruction, it was a “chain” accident. The workers were carrying out regular maintenance inside the tunnels of the sewage lifting plant and would have died one after the other: seeing that the first worker did not give any signals, a second would descend into the sewers to check what was happening, up to the last worker, who, not seeing anyone coming up, decided to raise the alarm. One of the six technicians was exhumed alive but unconscious, which is why he was first intubated and then transported in very serious conditions to the Palermo Polyclinic. According to the provincial fire brigade commander Girolamo Bentivoglio Flanders workers would die from inhaling hydrogen sulfide, also called sulfuric acid. It is a gas which at high concentrations is not only extremely toxic, but inhibits the olfactory nerve making it impossible to recognize its presence in the air.
Of the six operators involved, four are employed by the Quadrifoglio company, while one was a temporary worker at Amap. The known victims at the moment are Epifanio Assazia aged 71; Giuseppe Miraglia, Roberto Raneri 50 years old; Ignazio Giordano59 years old and Giuseppe La Barbera (not all ages are known yet).
The reactions
During the afternoon, representatives of the institutions also commented on the news. “May full light be shed on this tragedy” wrote the Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni on social channels: “To the families of the victims, my deep condolences, together with the feeling of closeness towards the worker who is currently in the intensive care unit at the Policlinico hospital in Palermo“.
“What I felt at the news of the death of the workers in Casteldaccia was profound pain. On my behalf and that of the entire council I express my most sincere condolences to the families of the victims for the terrible and unexpected tragedy that struck them”, said the president of the Sicilian region Renato Schifani. “My condolences and my closeness to the families of the victims. My gratitude to the firefighters and all the healthcare personnel who immediately intervened to provide assistance”, said the Interior Minister Matteo Piantedosi on social media.
“A new massacre in the Palermo area, another accident with five victims that cries out for justice and leaves us dismayed. Enough talking about fatality. Condolence or pity is not enough”, he states Luigi Sbarra, general secretary of the CISL. “Behind the fallen there are responsibilities to be ascertained and omissions to be verified. The judiciary must shed light as soon as possible. The CISL will continue its mobilization in the territories and in companies until there is a real change in all workplaces, with a national strategy that stops this intolerable trail of blood. We must live by work, not die”.
“Another tragedy today, in Sicily, in Casteldaccia. Five workers dead and one in a very serious situation. The first thought, naturally, goes to them, to their families and it is a thought of strong closeness, but it is not enough, it cannot enough,” he said Elly Schlein. “We cannot find ourselves faced every time with a death at work, a death on an internship, to reiterate that safety at work is not a priority among many, it is the priority – continued the secretary of the Democratic Party –. If we are a Republic founded on work, as the Constitution writes, we must be consistent and all the institutions must put in place their maximum commitment to say enough to this daily massacre of workers. We must invest much more in prevention, training and education. hiring staff who can carry out checks, make companies responsible. In short, politics must and can do much more in the face of this daily tragedy, so we will continue to fight in this direction.”
