Two suffocate to death in RP

Two suffocate to death in RP

MANILA (AFP): Two Filipino employees suffocated to death
yesterday in the hold of a power barge anchored off a suburb of
the Philippine capital, an official of the company that owns the
barge said.

Jose Reyes, vice-president of East Asia Power Corp., a
Filipino-owned firm, said the two were part of a five-man team
which went into the hold of the 52-megawatt barge for a regular
check.

Another team later discovered the five, all unconscious. They
were rushed to the hospital where two were pronounced dead. The
other three were revived but remain at the hospital. The company
would not release the names of the victims.

Reyes said he did not know why the five were stricken, noting
that they had been doing similar checks before with no ill
effects on the barge, which is powered by bunker fuel.