Shortly after 3 p.m. on Thursday, all emergency services were alerted to a business in Oberndorf. It was reported that gas was leaking and that one person was already unconscious.
It quickly became apparent that renovation work was being carried out in the building. Concrete floors were being poured and ground in the basement rooms. The workers were using petrol-powered grinding machines, among other things. However, as the rooms in the basement had few windows, poisonous carbon dioxide gas (CO2) was accumulating.
Men saved colleagues
A man collapsed and was carried out of the danger area by two other workers who were also engaged in grinding work. The two men also noticed that they had difficulty breathing and felt dizzy.