A WORKER involved in cleaning up operations at a flood-damaged Valencia province school died on Sunday when a metal beam collapsed onto him.
A colleague suffered minor injuries following the incident at the Lluis Vives school in Massanassa.
The beam was part of a pergola linking a school building to the gymnasium and gave way shortly before noon.
Two people were trapped with a 51-year-old man dying instantly while his co-worker, 35, sustained non-life threatening injuries to his legs and head.
He was taken to La Fe Hospital in Valencia.
Valencian education minister, Jose Antonio Rovira, said: “The building was not classified as being in risk of collapse and the accident happened on an outside porch, due perhaps to damage to a pillar.”
Rovira said exterior cleaning was taking place with a machine and four operators who were getting rid of mud and abandoned items.
The employees worked for the Tragsa Group which reiterated ‘its commitment to the safety of our workers’ and to continually ‘improve working conditions to avoid a repeat of such an incident’.
Prime Minister, Pedro Sanchez, said he was shocked by the news and sent condolences to the deceased worker’s family and hoped for the ‘speed recovery’ of his colleague.
Sanchez highlighted the work of the ‘thousands of people who work day and night’ in the areas affected by the floods of October 29.
“So many anonymous heroes continue to give everything to return normality as soon as possible to areas that have suffered from this tragedy,” he stressed.
