Two contractors have died after inhaling toxic fumes that also injured four other men in an underground pit at a western Pennsylvania power plant.
Kevin Bachner, 34, and John Gorchock, 42, died after they were unable to escape a ‘confined, well-type’ space when a pipe released hydrogen sulfide gas Wednesday.
Four other men breathed in the fumes as well and were taken to the hospital after the tragic accident at the Bruce Mansfield Power Station in Beaver County.
Gorchock’s brother Michael, remains at the hospital with signs of improvement, while Thomas Cantwell and Nathaniel Compton were both released as of Friday.
The condition of Mark Wagner, who was the fourth man injured, is not known.
Kevin Bachner, 34, (left) and John Gorchock, 42, (right) died after they were unable to escape a ‘confined, well-type’ space when a pipe released hydrogen sulfide gas at Bruce Mansfield Power Station in Beaver County, Pennsylvania on Wednesday
Four other men breathed in the fumes and were taken to the hospital after the tragic accident. Two have been released as of Friday, one remains in hospital and fourth victim’s condition is not known
Pennsylvania State Police said the workers who died were inside the underground pit while the others who were injured were standing above it, according to WPXI.
Sludge filled the pit, which is between 20 and 50 feet deep. The workers above were overcome by the toxic gas.
Cantwell was asked to comment on the accident, and said to CBS Pittsburgh: ‘I really don’t want to think about it, I lost some very good friends.’
Family friend of the Gorchocks, Anthony Sabat said to the local news outlet: ‘John was a great human being who loved his family.
‘His wife Lisa and three kids were top priority, second to none. John was easy to get along with, funny, happy all the way around.’
Another friend added: ‘He loved his family, he loved all sports. He worked hard for this family and traveled a long ways for some jobs for them. So sad it had to end that way.’
The two contractors were working on a pipe in an underground pit at the western Pennsylvania power plant were killed when the pipe ruptured, filling the pit with sludge
Police say four other workers above the pit were overcome by the fumes released by the leak and were taken to the hospital
State Police Lt. Eric Hermick said to CBS News: ‘The line was not supposed to be charged, obviously.
‘They got to the last bolt to crack it open and when they did so, this nauseous gas, hydrogen sulfide-type mixture immediately incapacitates you.’
He added: ‘It’s probably second-worst type of situation to respond to because you want to help somebody that’s in a life-threatening situation.’
The accident at FirstEnergy’s largest coal-fired plant in Shippingport, about 35 miles northwest of Pittsburgh, remains under investigation.
The plant employs 350 people, which is more than Shippingport’s population of 214.