Fourth man dies in German leather factory accident
22.04.2026, DPA
Photo: Sascha Ditscher/dpa
A 35-year-old man who was injured last Thursday at a leather factory accident in Runkel in the German state of Hesse died on Wednesday, bringing the number of those killed to four, police said.
The man had been taken to hospital after the workplace accident but passed away from his severe injuries, police said. Investigations into the cause of the accident are ongoing.
Three employees of the company aged 38, 58 and 59 were found dead in a collection pit at the leather factory.
Two men were rescued with life-threatening injuries, including an employee from the leather factory and an employee of a pipe-cleaning company from Montabaur in the German state of Rhineland-Palatinate. It was initially unclear which of the two was the 35-year-old who has now died.
The authorities assume, based on initial findings, that a fatal carbon monoxide poisoning occurred in the pit. The employees had apparently climbed down into the pit one after the other and perished there.
The exact course of events and the reason why the men were in the pit remain unclear. Three bodies were examined by forensic medicine on Tuesday evening but the results are not yet known.
The workplace accident at the leather factory site shocked the town of Runkel, which has a population of 9,500. On Friday evening, numerous people prayed for the dead and injured at a memorial service.
Because various chemicals are used in the affected plant, emergency services personnel who had direct contact with the victims had to be decontaminated and, as a precaution, seen by a doctor. Around 45 to 50 emergency personnel were affected.
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