Three workers have died in a work accident on a pig farm in the town of Pitillas, Navarra, after being trapped inside a slurry pit with an insufficient concentration of oxygen. The event took place this Wednesday, November 4, around 12:15 p.m., on a livestock farm located in the area of El Salobrar.
According to initial reports, one of the operators fell into the tank and the other two workers tried to help him, but they also became trapped. Emergency services moved to the farm after receiving the alert from SOS Navarra at 12:16 p.m., although they could do nothing to save the lives of the three men.
The victims were 61, 37, and 33 years old and were residents of nearby Navarran towns. Two of the deceased were relatives, specifically uncle and nephew. The accident has caused great commotion in the area, especially in the municipalities of Caparroso and Cadreita, where the workers resided.
A large emergency response team attended the Pitillas farm
After receiving the alert, the SOS Navarra Emergency Management Center mobilized a significant rescue operation to try to locate and assist the workers. Firefighters from the Tafalla park and the Technical Rescue Group (GRT), as well as a medical team from Caparroso and an advanced life support ambulance, were dispatched to the pig farm.
Also, two helicopters, one medicalized and one for rescue, along with agents from the Foral Police of the Tafalla police station, attended. Likewise, an emergency psychologist was mobilized to provide assistance to the victims' family and friends. For now, the exact circumstances of the accident remain under investigation. The Foral Police's Accident Investigation Brigade has taken charge of the proceedings to clarify how the workers fell and what happened inside the pit.
Slurry pits are facilities used in livestock farms to store organic waste from livestock, mainly feces and urine. These spaces can accumulate toxic gases and present very low oxygen concentrations, which poses a serious danger to those who enter them without adequate protection and ventilation measures.
The most serious work accident in a slurry pit since 2003
The death of the three workers in Pitillas represents the most serious accident recorded in Spain in this type of facility since April 2003. On that occasion, four members of the same family died from inhaling toxic gases in a livestock farm in Los Dolores, Murcia.
In Navarra, another similar accident had already occurred in December 2023. Then, a 74-year-old man died of intoxication while working inside a slurry pit on a sheep farm in Leitza. Another worker who was with him managed to get out, although he had to be taken to the hospital for intoxication.
The tragedy of Pitillas has once again focused attention on occupational risks in livestock farms and the safety conditions of these types of facilities. Unions have extended their condolences to the families and have demanded an investigation into what happened. In addition, several union organizations have called a mobilization for this Friday with the aim of denouncing the accident and demanding prevention measures. For its part, the Parliament of Navarra began its plenary session this Thursday with a minute of silence in memory of the three deceased workers.
