Stay-in worker rolled in his sleep, fell and died

MANILA, Philippines—A 45-year-old machine operator died allegedly when he rolled in his sleep and fell from a makeshift bunk in a warehouse in Manila early Friday.

Edgard Roche, a stay-in worker at the Alliance Paper Products warehouse at 1368 Felix Huertas Street in Sta. Cruz, was declared dead on arrival by attending doctors at the Jose Reyes Memorial Medical Center from a head wound.

Senior Police Officer 2 Edgardo Ko of the Manila Police District homicide said Roche fell off his makeshift bunk while he was sleeping.

Ko said the incident happened at around 12:10 a.m. inside the storage facility of the paper company.

Before the incident Roche, along with other stay-in coworkers Larry Ayson, Rogelio Arriega, Victor Angal, and Richard Mahilum, was sleeping atop a pile of corrugated boxes, when the victim rolled and fell from their makeshift bed.

Ayson, Arriega, and Mahilum said they were awakened by the loud thud and found Roche slumped on the ground with blood oozing from a gaping wound on his forehead.

The workers rushed their colleague to the nearest hospital where he died.

Ko observed round bluish spots on Roche’s body, apart from the head wound he sustained from the fall.

The case investigator said the incident would be probed further pending an autopsy result. –Jeannette Andrade, Philippine Daily Inquirer