On May 11, 2026, a fatal incident shook the Asakawa shipyard in Imabari, Ehime Prefecture. Two workers, 59-year-old Yagi Tomihiro and 19-year-old Niida Yuto, were found dead inside a tank of a liquefied petroleum gas vessel. The discovery occurred at 2:10 p.m., when a colleague saw them collapsed inside. According to the police, they opened the access hatch to remove nitrogen gas and fell about 10 meters.
Technical risks in LPG tank maintenance 🛠️
Nitrogen purging is a standard procedure to inert tanks and prevent explosions, but it displaces oxygen, creating a lethal atmosphere. In this case, the workers did not use self-contained breathing apparatus or safety harnesses. The 10-meter fall suggests they accessed through the top opening without confined space protocols. The police are investigating whether the company violated occupational safety regulations, such as gas measurement or the use of lifelines.
Falling 10 meters: the fastest elevator in the shipyard 🎢
Opening a hatch and leaning into a tank full of nitrogen is like playing Russian roulette with oxygen. The workers wanted to vent the gas, but ended up ventilating their lungs with an unbreathable environment. The 10-meter fall was the final touch: an express trip with no return ticket. Perhaps they thought the tank was a pool, but nitrogen shows no mercy. The moral: if you see an access hatch, don't look at it like a slide.