TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — An employee at a New Taipei food factory who almost died after accidentally becoming stuck in a freezer said the experience was like a living hell.
The local fire department issued a statement on Monday (Oct. 9) and said the woman was accidentally locked in a freezer with a temperature of -10 degrees Celsius on Saturday, per CNA. It said that the freezer’s age meant that a safety mechanism that would have allowed the woman to free herself was not working.
A passerby reportedly heard the woman’s faint cries through the freezer door and smashed a glass door to reach the freezer and free the woman. She was still conscious when freed, with frostbite on her palms and slight hypothermia.
The man who smashed the glass sustained lacerations on his arm and both he and the woman were sent to hospital for treatment. Local fire chief Chung Shih-ming said the temperature in the freezer was so low that anyone who entered should have been wearing safety equipment.
Chung reminded employers and employees to observe relevant safety procedures to avoid a repeat of the incident.
A door smashed by a passerby to gain access to the freezer is pictured on Saturday. (CNA, New Taipei City Fire Department photo)
