Toxic Fumes Kill 7 Workers At Grupo Modelo Brewery In Mexico City

[News_Editor]

<p>MEXICO CITY (BNO NEWS) -- Seven workers were killed Sunday while cleaning a tank at a brewery in Mexico City for Mexico's Grupo Modelo, the parent company of Corona beer, the company and local authorities said. Few details about the accident were immediately released.

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<p>The accident happened during the early hours on Sunday when a group of workers were involved in the cleaning and maintenance of a tank at the Cervecería Modelo brewery in Mexico City. Local authorities said the workers appear to have died after inhaling a toxic gas, believed to be carbon dioxide.

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<p>"Early in the morning of April 7, we had an accident at Cervecería Modelo in Mexico City, which occurred in a confined area in a tank in which cleaning and upkeep works were being done," said Jennifer Shelley, a spokeswoman for Grupo Modelo. "Unfortunately the accident resulted in seven deaths."

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<p>Shelley said the brewery has contacted relevant authorities about the accident and informed the relatives of the deceased. "We are carrying out the corresponding investigation to understand the cause of the accident," she said, adding that there is no risk to the community, the environment, or other workers at the facility.

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<p>Cervecería Modelo, with currently a total capacity of 11.1 million hectoliters, was the company's first plant and began operating in 1925. Grupo Modelo is in the process of being sold to Belgium's Anheuser-Busch InBev, but Grupo Modelo's name, identity, heritage and Mexico City headquarters will be maintained.

</p> <p> (Copyright 2013 by BNO News B.V. All rights reserved. Info: [email protected].) </p>

[OzMick]

The cause of the "accident" was incorrect, or incorrectly followed, OH&S Confined Space Procedures.