3 die after being found unconscious in Matsu vessel cabin

Taipei, Oct. 15 (CNA) Three people died Thursday after being found unconscious inside a cabin of a work vessel at Meng'ao Harbor on Dongju Island in the Matsu archipelago, and rescuers later detected high levels of carbon monoxide at the scene.

The three showed no signs of life when rescuers pulled them from the cabin and were later pronounced dead at the local Chukuang Health Center, authorities said.

All three were Taiwanese nationals working for a subcontractor hired to repair the vessel. The vessel was being used by a contractor the Lienchiang County government had commissioned to renovate Meng'ao Harbor.

The Lienchiang County Fire Department received a report at 10:40 a.m. that three workers were trapped and unconscious inside the cabin.

Rescuers reported high levels of carbon monoxide at the scene but said they did not have the equipment to test for other gases.

Media reports said that the deaths may have been linked to exposure to biogas, but authorities said the cause remains under investigation.

Lienchiang County Deputy Magistrate Chen Kuan-jen (陳冠人) said the county government had cordoned off the construction site and ordered the contractor to suspend work, and that it would fully cooperate with prosecutors and the Ministry of Labor in their investigation.

Anyone found responsible for violations or negligence during construction would be held accountable under the law, he said.

The vessel, Dongping No. 17, was used to transport materials for construction work at the harbor, Chen said.

(By Pan Hsin-tung and Shih Hsiu-chuan)

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