A tragic incident took place at Marine Hydraulics International in Norfolk, Virginia, where two shipyard workers died. The incident happened on Wednesday morning as the emergency crews received a call at 7:46 a.m.
While one of the workers was pronounced dead at the scene, the other one was taken to the hospital. However, the man later died due to life-threatening injuries from the alleged accident.
For those unfamiliar, Marine Hydraulics International is situated at 1215 Warrington Ave, near Midtown Tunnel, Norfolk. The company provides services related to ship repair. As the incident happened on Wednesday morning, Norfolk Police also assisted Norfolk Fire-Rescue. The shipyard officials have confirmed that the two workers died after an accident.
According to News 3, a ship elevator-related accident took away the lives of the two workers.
MHI released a statement to confirm two shipyard workers' deaths
Marine Hydraulics International released a statement to the news outlet to confirm the passing of the workers. The officials mentioned how they were impacted by the deaths and sent their thoughts and prayers to their families. Moreover, they ensured that safety has been their primary concern.
"We are deeply saddened to confirm the passing of two shipyard workers after an incident at MHI Ship Repair’s midtown facility this morning. Our thoughts and prayers are with their families, as well as with the many impacted workers at our facility. We are committed to supporting them through this difficult time. Safety is our top priority at MHI, and we will work within our own team and with local authorities to investigate the cause of this incident," read the statement.
Following the accident, 10 On Your Side reported that the workers on the ship were sent home for the day. However, the rest of the shipyard kept on working. One of the workers in the yard told the news outlet how traumatizing it was to continue to work after the incident.
"You hear something like that, it’s going to change the rest of your day, it’s not going to make you like, ‘ah man, let me back to work,’ it’s like, nah it’s going to be on my mind. It’s going to make me think about the things I do. Like what kind of environment do I work in? How safe is it, you know?"
Netizens have also reacted to the tragic accident and are praying for the workers' families.
While authorities did not share many details about the case, the accident is currently under investigation as undetermined deaths.