Worker Dies From Toxic Fumes While Cleaning Drain in Playacar

Playa del Carmen, Quintana Roo — A worker died Saturday morning after inhaling toxic fumes while cleaning a drain at the Akoya condominium in the second phase of Playacar, authorities said.

Two workers were cleaning a drain using chemical products when they began to feel ill. One of them lost consciousness and fell into a narrow service duct. Colleagues managed to rescue one worker, but the other, identified as Alfredo, 40, remained trapped in the duct. He was still breathing but unconscious, witnesses said.

Firefighters arrived and extracted the man, but paramedics confirmed he had died from asphyxiation. The workers were reportedly not wearing proper protective equipment, such as a mask, when they began pouring the cleaning chemicals.

Police secured the area until investigators from the State Prosecutor’s Office arrived. Civil protection inspectors also began assessing the incident.

Relatives of the deceased arrived at the scene and were informed of the tragedy by firefighters.