Teenager dies after being trapped in a sausage machine
A TEENAGER has been crushed to death after being pulled into a meat mixer at a sausage-making factory in the Philippines.
Joemar Jungco, 18, was discovered with only his legs sticking out of the machine by workers arriving for their morning shift.
Jungco is believed to have been trying to reach something inside the machine, used in the production of spicy chorizo, while it was still running.
The incident occurred at a factory in the city of Iloilo at around 7.30am on June 22.
Jungco’s body was discovered around 8 am, with emergency services arriving approximately an hour later.
Philippine police said Jungco had only been in the job for two weeks, and that he was not assigned to the machine that killed him.
They added that they did not suspect any foul play.
Corporal Jennifer Espora said: “We asked his co-workers and the owner of the company and they claimed he was alone in the working area when the incident occurred.
“It is possible that he was curious with the other machines so he was looking around the other stations.”
Carl David Carlos, a former colleague of Jungco’s, told local reporters: “It is possible that he put his hand near the blades inside the machine while it is turned on. You cannot reach the switch while standing here.
“The motor is two horsepowers strong but stopped midway when half of his body is in.
“We took him out of the machine after turning it off completely. Joemar’s station is in the other room.”
Jungco’s body was recovered intact, though a technician had to partly dissemble the machine in order to remove it.
Local authorities will await autopsy results to establish the exact cause of death, but funeral director Ardee Porras said she believed it was possible that Jungco had suffocated.
Joselor Jaleco, the owner of the frozen foods company that runs the factory, told local media that she had warned Jungco against putting his hands into the machines.
She added: ”He was a good worker and was dedicated to his work. We are willing to provide for his burial expenses.”
Jungco’s family have agreed to settle for the costs of burying him.
