*Race to find man who vanished at sewage plant
*Divers feel their way through sludge to find worker
A MAN’S body has been recovered from a huge sewage tank at Eastern Treatment Plant in Bangholme, in Melbourne’s southeast. Victoria Police and WorkSafe confirmed that the body was found by police divers just after 8pm.
The 52-year-old Endeavour Hills man - who was working for Melbourne Water - was last seen taking samples from the pits at the Eastern Treatment Plant at Bangholme, in Melbourne's southeast, at 7.15am.
Authorities implemented a complicated emergency operation to empty a 1.5 million litre sewage tank.
Police search and rescue dive squad members worked with the CFA and Melbourne Water to find the man.
The tragic accident follows a shocking spate of workplace fatalities across the state, with eight deaths in the past 11 days.
Detective Sen-Constable Dean Hedge said the matter was being regarded as an industrial accident.
It is understood the man fell in a pumping system where the raw sewerage flows at about 6m per second.
“We’re conducting a recovery operation to look for him assuming he’s down there," Sen-Constable Hedge said earlier.
“It’s a large area they’re searching, they can’t see in there and it’s all being done by feel.’‘
Sen-Constable Hedge said the man was working alone at the time of his disappearance.
The man’s family has been contacted.
WorkSafe investigators attended the scene.
Authorities say the lab technician may have fallen into the massive tank soon after 7am as he conducted routine tests of liquid in the tanks.
Colleagues raised the alarm at about 8.45am after realising the man was missing, spotting his work equipment still at the side of the tank.
Soon afterwards, specialist divers from Melbourne Water, CFA, SES, police and WorkSafe investigators arrived at the scene on Thompsons Rd.
The giant treatment tank is among many that are built into the ground and is about 5m deep.
Melbourne Water confirmed the man had been sampling liquid in the tanks.
“One of our subcontractors was carrying out routine sampling works at 7.15am and has failed to return from the tank area to the on-site laboratory,” the statement said.
The Eastern Treatment Plant treats about 40 per cent of Melbourne’s sewage, about 330 million litres a day – with waste water coming from the city's southeast and eastern suburbs.
