Three workers die in a water tank at a private house in Quinta do Lago, Portugal
The deaths occurred on Monday, 12 October, during waterproofing work at a private house in Loulé, Faro district. Emergency services received the alert at 12:53 and confirmed the deaths on site after 30 operatives were deployed.
What happened
Three men died on Monday, 12 October, after going into a water tank at a private house in the Quinta do Lago area of Loulé, in the Faro district of the Algarve. Lusa, citing GNR and Civil Protection sources, reported that the men worked for a construction company and were carrying out waterproofing work at the property. The structure is described differently across the coverage: Diário de Notícias refers to a water reservoir, Notícias ao Minuto and RTP to a septic tank, and SAPO to a well (poço) in which the men were submerged. SAPO places the incident on Avenida Ayrton Senna da Silva in Quinta do Lago, in Almancil, within the Loulé municipality. The GNR source said the Labour Conditions Authority (ACT) was travelling to the location.
Emergency response
Civil Protection recorded the alert at 12:53, and rescue teams attempted resuscitation before declaring the three deaths at the scene. According to RTP, the operation mobilised 30 operatives supported by 13 land vehicles, including firefighters from Loulé and the INEM emergency medical service. SAPO reports that the VMER emergency medical team from Faro confirmed the deaths on site. INEM also sent the Algarve Emergency Psychological Intervention Unit (UMIPE) to provide psychological support to those at the scene. The ambulances first dispatched were stood down. The GNR's Faro territorial command described the scene in these words:
Three workers from a construction company were found lifeless inside a water reservoir of a private house, at Quinta do Lago, where they were carrying out waterproofing work.
Victims and conflicting accounts
The reports give different descriptions of the victims. SAPO gives estimated ages between 25 and 30 and says all three were men. Notícias ao Minuto, citing the Jornal de Notícias, gives ages of 21, 24 and 40 and Romanian nationality. The Faro operations command, CDOS, confirmed the three deaths and the three people assisted, according to Notícias ao Minuto. Diário de Notícias, citing Lusa, reports that three other people were assisted on site. Notícias ao Minuto says those three, aged between 50 and 52, were treated at the scene and refused transport to hospital.
Investigation
The GNR said enquiries are continuing to establish what happened at the property. The GNR source did not give further details about the victims at that stage. The available reports do not name the company that employed the men and do not give a cause for the deaths. The coverage does not indicate how long the men had been inside the tank or structure before the alert was raised. The Labour Conditions Authority's inspection of the site is expected to form part of the inquiry, according to the GNR source.
