A 52-year-old Copasa worker died after being hit by an explosion inside a treatment plant in the city of Cabo Verde, in the south of Minas Gerais, on Wednesday (January 15). The impact ejected the worker into a waste reservoir.
According to the Fire Department, the accident occurred around 6:00 p.m. At the site, employees said that the victim was working on an anaerobic upflow reactor - a system that treats sewage and industrial effluents - when an explosion occurred. The impact threw a steel plate and hit the worker, who ended up being thrown into the waste reservoir.
The military began work, together with a Copasa team, to drain the entire volume of the reactor, approximately 600 cubic meters of waste. After approximately five hours, the worker's body was seen. Firefighters used personal protective equipment, protective clothing, lighting and self-contained breathing apparatus to enter the reservoir and remove the body through a duct.
The rescue efforts were monitored by the Civil Police (PCMG) forensics team. After the rescue, the body was sent to the Forensic Medical Institute in Poços de Caldas.
