Chinese man falls into coma after suffering 'methane gas poisoning' trying to unblock sewer

A Chinese man was recovering in hospital on Sunday after he fell into a coma when he tried to clear a blocked sewer outside his family’s restaurant, mainland media reports.

The man, 28, who was in a coma for 40 hours, was overcome by methane gas on Friday as he attempted to clear the sewer in Yiwu city, in Zhejiang province, which became blocked with rubbish after many hours of heavy rain, Qianjiang Evening News reported.

Doctors said the man – who was apparently not wearing any safety breathing apparatus while carrying out the work – had suffered methane gas poisoning inside the sewer, but was now recovering well in hospital, the newspaper said.

The blocked pipe had caused foul smelling water to flood out of a nearby well, discouraging customers from eating at the family’s restaurant.

The man’s parents asked several workers to clear the blocked sewer, but were told the work would cost 500 yuan (HK$630), so he decided to do the work himself.

After tying a rope around his body, he slid down into the sewer to start the work, carrying only a bucket.