Authorities say a 62-year-old man has died after being accidentally cooked to death in a machine used to make tinned tuna.
According to the NY Daily News , Jose Melena was found at the Bumble Bee foods plant in Sante Fe Springs, California at 7 am on Thursday. Rescuers who responded to a 9-1-1 call pronounced the man dead at the scene, police said.
The initial investigation indicated that Melena “was fatally injured when he was cooked in an oven,” California Division of Occupational Safety and Health spokeswoman Erika Monterroza said.
Cal-OSHA has launched an investigation into the the circumstances of what officials are calling an accident.
The organization added it was unclear how the man ended up inside the cooking device called a “steamer machine.”
“This is a horrendous tragedy,” Monterroza said. “Once all of the facts are gathered, at that point, a determination will be made if California health and safety regulations were violated.”
Following the horrific accident, Bumble Bee Foods spokesman Pat Menke expressed condolences to Melena’s family in a written statement.
“The entire Bumble Bee Foods family is saddened by the tragic loss of our colleague, and our thoughts and prayers are with the Melena family,” he said.
Menke added operations at the canning facility will be suspended until Monday.
