Overview
- Three Aguas del Norte workers entered a roughly seven‑meter sewer chamber on May 5, 2026, and two—Emanuel Aguirre and Raúl Torres—died while a third was critically injured.
- Autopsies found toxic asphyxiation and toxicology confirmed hydrogen sulfide in at least one victim, a gas that can incapacitate or kill within seconds in confined sewage spaces.
- On July 11 the Fiscalía de Pichanal provisionally charged four company officials—the operational supervisor, the provincial operations manager, the hygiene‑and‑safety coordinator, and the head of the hygiene‑and‑safety area—with negligent homicide and serious injuries.
- Prosecutors say the crew entered without required confined‑space protections such as gas detectors, self‑contained breathing equipment, harnesses, lifelines and rescue devices and that staff lacked specific training and supervision.
- Families called the imputations a partial advance and reported an ART directive banning entry to sewer chambers without full safety gear, while the criminal investigation remains open and could lead to further evidence, indictments or safety reforms.