On Wednesday, a man named Gary Askin died at McGee Mushrooms plant outside Emyvale, Co Monaghan while saving his own brother.
Askin, 28, was working at this mushroom planet alongside his brother Stephen and a third worker when this tragic incident happened.
The facility is run by Cornacrieve Mushrooms Limited.
It is believed that Gary tried to save his brother Stephen who had got trapped in an overhead industrial bin in the plant. Emergency services were immediately called in by the staff.
All the three men were unconscious when emergency services personnel arrived at the scene. Gary was declared dead at the scene while the other two were rushed to Cavan General Hospital.
The Health and Safety Authority (HAS) revealed that the “three men were overcome having entered a wood chip silo at their place of work”.
Sinn Fein councillor Brian McKenna described the incident as “very sad.”
“Stephen became trapped in the bin and Gary rang straightaway for an ambulance,” McKenna said.
“He managed to get his brother out but then Gary became trapped.
According to McKenna, Stephen was already under the influence of toxic fumes and wasn’t able to help Gary.
“The ambulance arrived after anything could be done to help Gary.”
“It’s very tragic. Gary died after saving his brother’s life.”
According to officials, Steven and the other man are expected to recover soon.
“Another foreign national worker was there too and he is also okay,” McKenna said.
“It’s an awful tragedy. Gary was very well known and he was a lovely man. He had been working in the mushroom plant since he left school. It’s so tragic.”
The HAS has launched an investigation into the incident. Gardai is also probing the accident separately.
“It’s just unbelievable. Everyone is devastated,” Independent councillor Seamus Treanor told the Herald.
“I know the family, and for something like this to happen is just unimaginable.”
A post mortem was carried out on Thursday at Our Lady’s Hospital in Navan, Co Meath.
In 2008, in a similar incident, three workers were killed at a mushroom farm in Langley, British Colombia, in Canada while attempting to clear a clogged water pipe. The workers died after some toxic gasses leaked into the room they were in at that time.
