Five people were suffocated on May 19 by hydrogen sulphide
emitted by a brewery effluent pool in Handan City, in north China's
Hebei
Province, according to sources from the provincial epidemic
prevention department.
At around 3:00 PM last Thursday, two workers at the Congtai
Brewery were choked by the gas as they checked equipment and
facilities. Four other workers and fire fighters were affected
whilst trying to rescue them.
A total of seven people suffered from the gas' effects and were
rushed for emergency treatment, five of whom died in hospital.
Investigation by the local epidemic prevention and control
department found high levels of hydrogen sulphide in the effluent
pool, which was determined to be the cause of the deaths.
Also in Hebei, local hospital sources said that Sun Jisheng, the
sole known survivor of a coal mine blast on May 19, was out of
critical condition early on Monday.
Sources from the No.226 People's Liberation Army Hospital said
Sun's body temperature, pulse and blood pressure were all
stable.
Sun was sent to the hospital early on Saturday after being
trapped more than 50 hours in Nuan'erhe Coal Mine in Chengde City.
The explosion has left 45 dead and five missing.
(Xinhua News Agency May 25, 2005)