At around 11:20 a.m. on the 29th, a colleague at Nippon Sheet Glass’s glass factory in Anesaki Beach, Ichihara City, Chiba Prefecture, called 119 to report that a worker had been buried under ash. According to Ichihara Police Station and the company, a man in his 50s was buried under hot ash while working and was confirmed dead at the hospital. Three other men in their 40s and 50s also suffered burns, but their injuries are not life-threatening.

The worker was working to remove accumulated ash from a flue gas desulfurization system, which removes harmful substances produced during the glass manufacturing process. The police are currently investigating the details of the incident.