JEDDAH, 15 May 2006 — The Sudanese worker trapped in the collapse of a sewage line on Saturday died of his wounds at King Abdul Aziz Hospital yesterday, Civil Defense officials said.
The worker was in serious condition when brought out of the hole after being trapped for more than 10 hours, officials said.
He died of serious internal injuries after being in a coma for more than two hours, hospital officials explained.
The death toll stands at two from Saturday’s noontime collapse in Jeddah. The accident occurred when the southern edge of a 15-meter hole being dug in Kilo 10 on old Makkah Road collapsed on top of three workers. Only one of the workers survived, after crawling his way out to safety through a pipeline.
Four rescue teams were involved in the rescue that ended after midnight.
Col. Muhammad Al-Ghamdi, head of Civil Defense in Jeddah, said, “The rescue operation took so long because of the difficulty of penetrating the concrete pipe and fears for the safety of the trapped worker.”
Al-Ghamdi blamed the contractor for the accident, holding him fully responsible for not complying with safety regulations. Officials said though it was the contractor’s first offense serious charges will be pressed and extreme penalties will be imposed.
“How many more workers have to die before contractors start taking safety regulations seriously?” said a Civil Defense official.
