Five men have died and one has been injured following an incident at a recycling site in Birmingham.
West Midlands police have confirmed that the five men died at the Hawkeswood recycling plant after a large concrete wall containing metal collapsed on them.
Paramedics tried to free the men, including one who had suffered a heart attack, however West Midlands Police pronounced all five victims dead at the scene of the accident.
A sixth man was taken to hospital with serious leg injuries. The victims have yet to be identified.
Police said an investigation into what happened was under way and the HSE had been notified.
Detective Superintendent Mark Payne, from Force CID, said: “Sadly five people have lost their lives and we have several teams of specialist officers supporting their families at this time.
“This has been a very traumatic incident for those who were at the site this morning and we will continue to work alongside the HSE and the other emergency services at the scene.”
Speaking about the incident Brian Rye, acting general secretary of construction union UCATT, commentated that the accident was a tragedy and put it to the HSE to maintain its active role in ensuring safety standards.
Rye said: “Information on how and why this accident occurred is currently very limited. However, this tragedy underlines that in dangerous industries it is imperative that the Health and Safety Executive plays an active and high-profile role in ensuring safety is maintained.
“The ongoing cuts to the HSE have meant that in general the number of inspections and inspectors has been declining.”
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