Swedish police are investigating the deaths of workers at an electric car battery factory
Swedish police will investigate whether there is a link between the unexplained deaths of three electric car battery factory workers, the force said on Thursday.
Although police say they do not suspect foul play, the deaths have cast a shadow over one of Europe’s largest producers of electric batteries. In response, Japanese car giant Toyota has pulled its employees from the factory.
Three people in the ‘gigafactory’ of Swedish manufacturer Northvolt died in the space of six months, Swedish media reported.
They all died after working at the Northvolt Ett factory in the northern town of Skelleftea. About 3,500 people work at the factory, Northvolt says on its website.
A 33-year-old man who worked as a cleaner at the factory was found dead in his bed on January 5.
On February 22, a 19-year-old man was found a day after his shift at the factory, who had also died in his sleep.
After an initial investigation, police concluded the deaths were not related to each other or to their workplace.
A third worker, aged 59, was found dead in his home on June 5, media said.
Forensic investigations have not revealed why any of the three employees died, police said in a statement on Thursday.
Further investigation would take into account the fact that “these people worked in the same workplace,” it added.
It said the third person “may have been exposed to a substance” and that police “will investigate this further.”
As a result of the deaths, Toyota, the world’s largest automaker, has suspended the work of its service technicians at the plant, according to trade magazine Dagens Arbete.
Northvolt said the three deaths in six months were a “tragic coincidence”.
Internal research has shown that the employees have not been exposed to any toxic substances and have had no accidents.
Deputy Employment Minister Paulina Brandberg said it was “very important to get clarity on what happened”.
“It’s terrible that three people died after work,” she told Swedish news agency TT.
Northvolt is a cornerstone of European efforts to catch up with China and the United States in the production of battery cells, a crucial part of lower-emission cars.
Europe is racing to produce more electric vehicles as part of the green transition, as the clock ticks on the EU deadline to phase out sales of fossil fuel cars by 2035.
nzg/sbk/rlp
