Pinoy, colleague die in tank in Saudi Arabia — report

Two workers — a Filipino and an Arab — died due to suffocation after inhaling poisonous gas inside a tank in Yanbu in Saudi Arabia, an Arab news site reported Friday. Arab News said the two were inspecting the tank when the incident occured. "[An Arab] and a Filipino died from inhaling nitrogen gas when inspecting a tank belonging to Cristal Titanium Dioxide Co.," the report said, quoting Lt. Col. Khaled Al-Johani, spokesperson of the Civil Defense in Madinah, as saying. The report did not name the two fatalities, however. Arab News also quoted Al-Johani as saying another worker accompanying them suffered serious breathing problems. The injured worker was taken to the Royal Commission Medical Center. The workers had gone down the tank without obtaining previous approval from safety officials, Al-Johani pointed out. — JE, GMA News