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Two Workers Die in Suspected Ammonia Leak at Clandestine Pisco Fishmeal Plant

Authorities have opened a liability probe into the unlicensed facility.

Overview

  • The suspected leak, reported Thursday in the Dios Te Ama area of San Andrés in Pisco, left two men dead and a third worker hospitalized.
  • Police say the men were cleaning a residue pit when ammonia used in fishmeal processing built up, causing breathing failure and a fall into the tank.
  • Hazmat-trained firefighters from Callao entered with protective gear hours later to recover the bodies as police kept the area sealed due to a strong chemical odor.
  • Authorities identified the victims as Fidel Antonio Palomino Pantoja, known as Loco Toño, and Wilder Manuel Castro Alayo, while the survivor remains under care at Hospital San Juan de Dios.
  • Investigators describe the site as an illegal operation, are coordinating closure with the municipal government, and are seeking a man known as El Chimbotano over alleged hiring and potential responsibility.