A leading Northern Ireland pathologist told a Belfast inquest yesterday that the deaths of two west Belfast dockers while unloading a cargo ship was caused by a lack of oxygen in a confined space.
The two men died in an access hatch leading to a hold in the ship containing animal foodstuffs from the Philippines at Belfast Harbour in October two years ago.
Dr Alison Armour described the atmosphere in the area where the men died as "lethal". It was seriously deficient in oxygen and the men would have become unconscious inside one minute.
Expert evidence from the Northern Ireland Forensic and Health and Safety Agency said that the foodstuff on board the ship was copra, which was made from coconut extract. It had been in the hold of the ship for 35 days on the voyage. They agreed that poisonous carbon monoxide gas could have been generated during the voyage.
The first docker who died, James Kelly (46), of Ladybrook Park, had gone into the entrance shaft to unhook a mechanical shovel. When he didn't reappear, his life-long friend and co-worker, Alphonsus Weir (49), from Blacks Road, went into the shaft to find him, and also died.