BROOKLYN — A worker died after falling into a water tunnel at the Coney Island Wastewater Treatment plant Wednesday, officials and sources said.
Michael Buffamante, 31, was working on a tank when he suffered what sources described as a possible seizure and fell off scaffolding.
FDNY crews were called to the facility at 2602 Knapp St. at 12:34 p.m. and divers went into the water, a department spokesman said. Divers scrambled for a few minutes to locate the man who was in cardiac arrest, sources said. Rescue workers performed CPR before rushing the man to Coney Island Hospital.
Buffamante, who lived in Hawthorne, New York, was pronounced dead at the hospital, according to the NYPD, which says the investigation is ongoing.
Buffamante was an employee of Welkin Mechanical — a contractor with the city's Department of Environmental Protection — and was performing capital upgrades at the treatment plant, Edward Timbers, the director of communications for DEP, said in an email.
Timbers said the work included the installation of de-chlorination equipment within an effluent channel. Timbers said effluent is the treated water. It can also be synonymous with sewage.
Sources said Buffamante fell into the channel. He was wearing protective equipment while performing the installation, according to on-site staff reports, Timbers said.
The DEP will conduct a further review, he said.
