Man crushed to death in bin lorry

http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/-/1/hi/northern_ireland/7001842.stm

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Irish police are trying to track down the family of a homeless man crushed to death after taking shelter in a bin.

Detectives believe the man was unwittingly emptied alive into a waste truck and killed by a compactor during a rubbish collection in Limerick.

Workers at a recycling depot outside the city sifting through waste found his remains and alerted detectives.

Superintendent Frank O'Brien said: "The preliminary findings suggest that he died from crush injuries."

Gardai are working with British police, using fingerprints and dental records, to confirm the man's identity.

It is believed the man, who was in his mid-30s, was originally from the south of England where he has family still living.

Investigating officers believe he had only come to the city at the weekend and had been sleeping rough in a large industrial wheeled bin for the night.

Supt O'Brien, added: "We have a reasonable belief in his identity but we're not disclosing it at the moment.

We want to establish exactly what happened and the events leading up to his death Superintendent Frank O'Brien Garda Siochana

"We are in touch with the British police with a view to establishing his identity conclusively."

Although it's understood he has been in Ireland for a number of years he was not known to homeless charities and agencies in Limerick.

"It appears he has spent some time in the south of Ireland, in Cork, and maybe at times in Dublin and other locations," Supt O'Brien said.

"But there isn't any degree of certainty that he has been in Limerick for any length of time."

Gardai cordoned off the privately-owned waste depot at Luddemore, near the village of Ballyneety, when workers found the man's remains on Monday.

State Pathologist Dr Marie Cassidy established that his death was caused by severe crush injuries incurred accidentally when the container was loaded onto a refuse collection truck.

"It appears that it was a tragic accident," added Supt O'Brien.

"But we are still pursuing this. We want to establish exactly what happened and the events leading up to his death."