The heat wave claimed another victim in Spain. A worker in his 50s has died near Madrid after suffering heat stroke from extreme temperatures at his workplace, emergency services said on Monday. This death brings to two the number of people who have died during their working time in the Madrid conurbation since the start of the heat wave more than a week ago.
According to a spokesman for the emergency services, the victim became unwell on Friday afternoon while working with colleagues in a warehouse in Mostoles, on the outskirts of Madrid, in very high temperatures. “When (rescuers) arrived, he was having convulsions” and had a body temperature “of 42.9 degrees”, explained this spokesperson. He died overnight from Friday to Saturday in a Madrid hospital where he had been admitted.
The city of Madrid announced for its part on Saturday the death of a 60-year-old road worker, also victim of heat stroke during his working hours. When paramedics took him in, his body temperature was 41.6 degrees.
Labor inspection investigation
“I will always carry in me the example of my father”, testified his son on Twitter, describing “a great man, worker until death”. “Wherever you are, you will continue to give us this strength that you passed on to us alive,” he added.
“This type of event should never happen”, denounced in a joint press release the two main Spanish unions, the UGT and CCOO, calling on all the actors concerned to act to prevent this type of situation.
“The labor inspectorate is investigating” the death of the Madrid municipal employee, tweeted the Ministry of Labor. “We have to see why the (prevention) measures communicated to companies (…) have not been implemented to prevent this type of accident,” he added.