Lenggong: Three workers, including an Indonesian national, died after they were suspected of inhaling toxic fumes while performing cleaning work in a sewer at a resort construction site in Kampung Ibol, Sumpitan, near Lenggong.

According to BERNAMA News Agency, Perak Fire and Rescue Department assistant director of operations, Sabarodzi Nor Ahmad, stated that the department received an emergency call at 10.08 am. Subsequently, a team from the Lenggong Fire and Rescue Station was dispatched to the site, which is located 17 kilometers away. Two local men, aged 29 and 37, were pronounced dead at the scene, while the Indonesian worker succumbed at Gerik Hospital.

Sabarodzi explained that seven workers were trapped in the sewer. By the time the rescue team arrived, five workers had already been pulled out by members of the public and were sent to a nearby health clinic for treatment. Two others remained trapped in the sewer. Firefighters retrieved the remaining two victims, who were pronounced dead at the scene by medics.

The sewer, where the tragic incident occurred, measured approximately five meters in length, four meters in width, and 2.4 meters in depth. Sabarodzi mentioned that the operation commander conducted an initial assessment and applied the SAVER concept, which stands for Systematic Approach for Victim Extrication and Rescue. Firefighters were instructed to wear full personal protective equipment and breathing apparatus before descending into the sewer to extract the victims.

The victims were secured with ropes and pulled out of the sewer. Their bodies were handed over to the police for further action. The operation concluded at 12.25 pm.