2 men die of suffocation in tunnel searching for 'gold, artifacts' in western Bekaa

BEKAA — Two young men died inside a tunnel in the mountainous area between the towns of Lala and Baaloul in western Bekaa while searching for gold and artifacts, L'Orient Today's correspondent in the Bekaa reported Monday.

It was reported earlier that the victims were killed in a construction accident, but it was later revealed that they were searching for gold and artifacts.

The victims were identified as a Lebanese national from the village of Sultan Yacoub al-Tahta, in western Bekaa, and a Syrian national whose identity has not yet been determined. According to preliminary information, the two men suffocated inside the tunnel, approximately 20 to 22 meters deep, after losing consciousness due to a lack of oxygen.

Civil Defense teams immediately responded to the scene and carried out search and recovery operations that lasted for about five hours, given the tunnel’s narrow structure and conditions that made accessing the two men difficult. The bodies were eventually retrieved and transported to a nearby hospital, the Civil Defense said in a statement Monday.

Security forces have opened an investigation to determine the exact circumstances surrounding the incident.

In July, five workers also died of asphyxiation while performing maintenance work at the Beirut and Mount Lebanon Water Office wastewater treatment plant in Khaldeh, south of Beirut. According to Civil Defense reports, one worker collapsed after inhaling toxic gases in a seven-meter-deep treatment basin, and the others succumbed while attempting to rescue him.

The International Labor Organization has warned against the risks related to oxygen deficiency in tunnels either because oxygen is displaced by other gases or because it is consumed by microbes. For these reasons, the ILO has laid out strict safety regulations — such as the use of equipment with breathing devices and safety harnesses — which it says must be complied with during all work in underground spaces.

Reporting contributed by L'Orient Today's correspondent in the Bekaa, Sarah Abdallah.