A WORKER died at a winery after inhaling toxic gas and falling into an empty silo in Spain.
The incident happened on Thursday evening at the Felix Solis company in Valdepeñas, Ciudad Real.
The man, 34, was the victim of gas- known as ‘tufo’- produced during the fermentation process where yeasts convert the sugar in grapes into alcohol.
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Carbon dioxide is released, which is colourless and odourless- causing unconsciousness and death by asphyxiation within minutes.
This scenario is normally not serious but can be lethal in high concentrations.
Emergency services were called to the Felix Solis premises at around 8.30pm.
Two Policia Nacional officers were affected by the poisonous gases while trying to get the worker out of the tank.
Firefighters using breath apparatus eventually managed to recover him but medics at the scene could only certify him as deceased.
The general secretary of the UGT union in Ciudad Real, Alfonsi Alvarez, said such ‘incidents are preventable’.
He criticised the Felix Solis winery for lacking union representation, which could demand preventive measures.
Another worker, aged 27, died for the same reason in Valdepeñas in 2024.
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