<em>BETTER RETHINK THAT NEXT BOWL OF PHO...</em>
HANOI, Oct 22 (Reuters) - A Vietnamese man died and three of his co-workers
nearly suffered the same fate after trying to rescue a colleague who fell into
vat of fish sauce.
The state-run Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper said the accident happened on Monday
in southern beachside Phan Thiet town when a man at a fish sauce factory fell
into a 2.2 metre (7.2 foot) sauce tank.
Four other workers, including the man's wife, who came to his aid also fell in,
and all lost consciousness after inhaling the gas from the fish being fermented
to make the sauce, the article said.
A doctor at the emergency unit at Binh Thuan provincial hospital told Reuters
on Tuesday one of the rescuers, a 34-year-old man, died after being taken to
hospital. The cause of death has not been established, he said.
"The fish sauce tank is very tall and the victims had been lying in the sauce
for a while before being rushed here," said the doctor who declined to be
identified. "When they came, the man (who died) was already in critical
condition."
Phan Thiet, the capital town of Binh Thuan, lies 190 km (118 miles) northeast
of Ho Chi Minh City. Besides being a centre for fish sauce manufacturing, it is
known for beachside resorts.
Fish sauce is ferociously pungent and commonly used in southeast Asia to spice
up dishes.