Four workers died from suffocation inside a 12-foot deep concrete tank of an abandoned fish sauce (patis) factory in Barangay Panghulo, Obando, Bulacan, on Thursday, October 3.
Police identified the victims as Rodolfo Tolentino, the factory caretaker; and construction workers Michael Lumukso, Eduardo Salomag, and Raffy Felix.
According to the Obando Police, a factory helper named Alan claimed that Tolentino fell unconscious while cleaning the tank or fermentation pool at around 2 p.m.
He immediately sought help from the three construction workers who tried to retrieve Tolentino, but they also collapsed inside the tank.
Authorities, using breathing apparatus, retrieved the victims' bodies.
The factory had been non-operational for about four years, leaving the authorities puzzled as to why the fermentation pool needed cleaning.
Police are conducting investigation to determine if the factory was indeed closed at the time of the incident.