The scene of the work related accident where two people died in the northern province of Thanh Hóa on Tuesday. — Photo vietnamnet.vn

HÀ NỘI — Two workers have died in a work related accident in the northern province of Thanh Hóa on Tuesday.

The victims were identified as Nguyễn Văn Yên, 33, from Thanh Hóa City and Lê Văn Thuận, 38, from Sầm Sơn City.

Three workers were tasked with dismantling the formwork at a basement of a hotel in Sầm Sơn City’s Trung Sơn Ward.

The third worker, named Dũng, is in a critical condition in hospital. The cause of the accident is currently under investigation.

Initial inquires suggest there may have been a gas leak which caused the employees to suffocate.

They were transported to Thanh Hóa General Hospital for emergency treatment but two have been pronounced dead before arriving at the hospital while another person named Dũng was in critical condition.

The bodies of the deceased were taken to their homeland for buried. Investigations into the incident are underway.

According to the Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs, the construction sector saw the highest number of occupational fatalities last year, followed by manufacturing for construction, textile and footwear sectors.

The construction sector accounted for 15 per cent of 622 deaths reported in 2018.

Experts blamed work-related accidents on employers who failed to create a safe working procedures or not providing safety training or equipment for workers.

The cost for medical expenses, burial and compensation for the families of the dead and injured victims were estimated at nearly VNĐ1,500 billion (US$64.6 million), in addition to VNĐ5 billion ($215,000) in property loss. —  VNS