NORFOLK, Va. — Another man has died following a reported industrial accident at local ship repair business Marine Hydraulics International Wednesday morning, police confirmed to News 3.
In a statement, Marine Hydraulics confirmed that the two men who died were shipyard workers.
Watch: News 3 reports from Marine Hydraulics after deadly industrial accident
Norfolk Fire-Rescue responded to the incident around 8:10 a.m. at the Marine Hydraulics Midtown Pier facility in Norfolk, police say. That's near the Midtown Tunnel.
Police say a man died at the scene and another was taken to the hospital with serious injuries. They later confirmed that the second man died in connection to the reported accident.
Both incidents are being investigated as undetermined deaths, police say. The OCME will determine the official manner and cause of death.
Marine Hydraulics International released the following statement to News 3 regarding the incident:
“We are deeply saddened to confirm the passing of two shipyard workers after an incident at MHI Ship Repair’s midtown facility this morning. Our thoughts and prayers are with their families, as well as with the many impacted workers at our facility. We are committed to supporting them through this difficult time. Safety is our top priority at MHI, and we will work within our own team and with local authorities to investigate the cause of this incident."
Hours after the incident, News 3's crew at the scene saw ambulances and first responders coming in and out of the facility's gate. When speaking with our crew, workers coming in and out of the facility described the incident as a "freak accident" that doesn't normally happen.
They also said they believed the accident happened on a ship elevator.
Authorities did not share details on the nature of the accident.
According to online records as recent as 2021, MHI had OSHA violations adding up to tens of thousands of dollars.
In 2021 the company had three violations, one that ended with an employee breaking their foot.
The cases in those incidents are closed.
OSHA told News 3 it is investigating what happened on Wednesday and said it could take up to 6 months to complete its investigation.
News 3 has a crew following this story today. This article will be updated with more information as we learn more.
