A KOREAN national wanting to fix a leaky pipe inside a compound of a power plant in Naga City died Wednesday afternoon.
Kim Dong Woon, 34, site manager of Con Clinic, was with four men who went diving inside the Korean Electric Co. past 4 p.m. to fix leaky cemented pipes situated underwater. Con Clinic is one of the plant’s subcontractors.
After 15 minutes underwater, four of Kim’s companions surfaced, but Kim failed to appear, said security officer Lauro Atillo, who reported the incident to the Naga City Police Station.
They waited for him to resurface for five minutes, but he remained missing.
This prompted his companions to request the senior manager to turn off the water pump of the cooling water plant.
When 20 minutes went by, Kim’s body emerged.
Supt. Anthony Bagarinao, Naga City Police Chief, explained that Kim and his team went in to check on the leak. His companions reportedly warned him not to go near the water pump but he persisted.
The pipe, Bagarinao said, is between 30 and 40 meters long while the entrance of the pipe is more than a meter wide.
He added it was fortunate the pipe had a screen, or else Kim’s body would have been sucked in and sliced by blades of a turbine.
Though the police have requested an autopsy, their initial findings did not lean towards foul play. (MEA)