Three Bangladeshis die in Mauritius workplace accident

Three Bangladeshi workers were crushed to death in northern Mauritius on Wednesday when a heavy crate of glass sheets toppled onto them as they unloaded a shipping container, local media reported.

The accident occurred at about 5:55 p.m. local time (1355 GMT) on Nov. 4 at the premises of a company on Mosque Road in Plaine-des-Papayes, according to Mauritian outlets Le Defi Media and Le Mauricien. The company is described as an aluminium fabrication firm.

The dead were named as Mohammad Miraj Hossain, 36, Hossain Md. Belal, 37, and Sikder Zubayed Islam, 25.

Le Mauricien said, citing preliminary information, that the men were removing a crate holding 41 glass sheets from the container, each measuring 6 feet by 8 feet. The crate suddenly tipped over and fell on them, and none of the three survived. Le Defi Media reported that the crate fell inadvertently, killing all three at the scene.

Plaine-des-Papayes police went to the site and began a preliminary investigation. Members of the Mauritius Fire and Rescue Service later joined the rescue effort. The bodies were recovered and sent to the morgue of a local hospital.

The exact cause of the accident has not been established, and police are examining the circumstances in which the crate fell. Local media also reported that Mauritius’s labour ministry has opened its own investigation.

The inquiries are expected to examine whether workplace safety rules were followed, whether the right equipment and procedures were used to unload heavy goods, and whether the workers had adequate training and supervision for the task. Responsibility could be determined if evidence of negligence or safety violations is found.