Three die at N.Y. waste plant

NEW YORK, June 29 (UPI) -- Three employees at a waste transfer plant in New York died Monday after apparently being overcome by fumes, officials said.

The workers -- including a father and his son -- were killed when they fell into about 4 feet of liquid in a hole at the Regal Recycling Co. plant in Queens. Officials said one worker fell into the hole, another tried to get him out using a rope and a ladder, and the third fell in while trying to help the first two, The New York Times reported.

The hole was said to be 18 feet deep and 3 feet in diameter.

New York Dire Department Deputy Assistant Chief John Sudnick told reporters the three dead workers were subcontractors. He said firefighters called to the plant found all three face down in the liquid.

A firefighter wearing breathing apparatus and using a harness went into the hole and retrieved the bodies, Sudnick said.

At the time of the accident, the workers were using a vacuum to clean out the hole, which is used to collect runoff water from construction operations, the report said.