Two Workers in Their 50s Dead, Injured After Incident at Maeil Dairies Pyeongtaek Plant Condensed Milk Tank

According to police on the 10th, another plant employee found A and B, both in their 50s, lying collapsed in a condensed milk storage tank at the Maeil Dairies plant in Pyeongtaek City at around 2:58 p.m. the previous day. They were taken to a hospital, but A died and B sustained minor injuries and was hospitalized for treatment.

No external injuries were found on A or B. The condensed milk storage tank where they were found was measured at 3.4 meters high and 1.9 meters in diameter.

Police plan to determine the circumstances of the accident, keeping open the possibility that the two men collapsed after suffocating from oxygen deficiency while cleaning the sealed tank. The complete absence of injuries from physical accidents such as falls or entrapment by machinery also supports the possibility of suffocation.

The tank where the accident occurred is a confined space with poor ventilation. In such spaces, residue inside can decompose or cleaning agents can rapidly consume oxygen and cause hazardous gases to accumulate.

After completing a preliminary investigation at the scene, police plan to transfer the case to the Serious Accident Investigation Team of the Metropolitan Criminal Investigation Unit at the Gyeonggi Nambu Provincial Police Agency. They will question plant officials about the specific tasks the two men were assigned, the circumstances of the accident, and whether safety rules were followed. An autopsy will also be used to determine the cause of A's death.

Police also plan to obtain a statement from B about the situation at the time of the accident once he is discharged from the hospital after receiving treatment for minor injuries.