A 16-year-old worker at a turbine construction company lost consciousness in a shaft of the power station in the St. Veit district of Carinthia after inhaling dangerous fumes. His colleague could not free him.
A Kaplan turbine at the power plant in Gurk Municipality had failed, causing gear oil to build up in a shaft. Two workers, a 16-year-old from the Feldkirchen district and a 41-year-old from the St. Veit district, a turbine-building company, were making repairs around 1:30 p.m. Thursday. “The 16-year-old climbed the shaft to remove the oil with a cleaner,” police said. According to the regulations, he wore a breathing mask because the use of the cleaning spray released fumes that are harmful to health.
To make sure everything is in order, the 16-year-old has to report acoustically every two minutes. “For unknown reasons, the 16-year-old took off his breathing mask while he was working and started screaming. As a result, he lost consciousness a short time later,” police described the situation.
Work colleague tried to save 16-year-old
The older employee immediately climbed into the shaft himself to rescue his colleague from the shaft. Without success. He then alerted the emergency services. Fortunately, after some time, the young man regained consciousness and was rescued by members of the Gurk and Strasbourg volunteer fire brigades. “He received first aid from the emergency doctor and was then taken to the hospital in Friesach for an outpatient clarification about his health condition,” the police continued.
Source: Krone
I am Ida Scott, a journalist and content author with a passion for uncovering the truth. I have been writing professionally for Today Times Live since 2020 and specialize in political news. My career began when I was just 17; I had already developed a knack for research and an eye for detail which made me stand out from my peers.
