Five workers seriously hurt as factory roof gives way in Figueira de Castelo Rodrigo
Seven men from an air-conditioning firm in Seia were fitting a refrigeration system on a building in the town's industrial zone when the roof collapsed. They fell about six metres and were taken to Guarda hospital.
Five workers were seriously injured and two more slightly hurt when a factory roof collapsed in Figueira de Castelo Rodrigo, in Portugal’s Guarda district, on Wednesday morning, the Portuguese radio station TSF reported.
The alarm was raised at about 10:40. All seven men worked for an air-conditioning company from Seia and were installing a refrigeration system on the roof of a building in the town’s industrial zone when it gave way. They fell around six metres and ended up trapped under the debris.
What caused the roof to collapse?
There is no official cause yet. The mayor, Carlos Condesso, said the roof most likely failed under the load it was carrying, and ruled out any link to the weather, on a day when much of the country was on alert for Storm Charles, which shut schools and public services. He described it as a workplace accident.
Some reports describe the building as a disused factory unit. The companies involved have not been named.
Where were the injured taken?
Firefighters freed and stabilised the victims at the scene before they were taken to Guarda hospital. No details have been given on their condition beyond serious or minor.
Twenty-one emergency workers and nine vehicles responded, according to the regional civil protection command for the Beiras and Serra da Estrela: fire crews from Figueira de Castelo Rodrigo, Almeida and Pinhel, the Guarda emergency medical team, the GNR police and the municipal civil protection service.
Serious workplace accidents in Portugal are investigated by the labour inspectorate, the ACT. No official source has yet said whether an investigation has been opened.
Image: David Perez / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 3.0)
