Three Gorges Accident Investigation BeginsOfficials have begun an investigation into the accident at the Three Gorges Dam construction site September 3. Three teams have been set up to handle the deceased and injured workers, investigate the equipment and take care of the aftermath.At 6:50 am September 3, while workers from Gezhouba Jituan Co. were working on the Three Gorges dam, a leather belt on tower No. 3 suddenly broke, sending the 29 workers working on the belt falling. The four workers underneath the belt at the time were also unable to escape in time. A total of three workers have died from the accident and three more workers are still in critical condition. After the accident occurred, officials from the Yangtze River Three Gorges Engineering Development Company, Gezhouba Jituan Co. and Yichang municipal government all hurried to the site of the accident and began investigating the accident. Officials have already notified the families of the three deceased workers. The three workers in critical condition have all been through surgery and are still in the hospital recovering. On September 4, the team charged with investigating the equipment began collecting evidence at the site of the accident. The commodity inspection and testing departments have already begun analyzing the material used for the belt. An expert will arrive at the site on September 7 to perform his own analysis. To avoid similar accidents, Gezhouba Jituan Co. has decided that until the investigation is completed, operation of the pulleys used to transport material up to the top of the dam will be suspended. |
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