A man has died after being crushed by a telescopic urinal he was working on in central London.
Emergency services were scrambled to Charing Cross Road in the West End shortly after 1pm on Friday, where the man was “seriously injured” after becoming trapped underground.
He was finally rescued around 3.40pm after dozens of firefighters spent more than two-and-a-half hours trying to free him, eventually using a winch to prise the urinal open.
What’s happened at Cambridge Circus ??? Huge emergency response.. 😯 pic.twitter.com/Oihm9RNfm4
— Louise Allain (@louiseallain) January 27, 2023
Around 4.40pm, Scotland Yard said: “We’re sorry to have to update that, despite the efforts of emergency services, the man who was critically injured in Cambridge Circus was pronounced dead at the scene.
“His next of kin has been informed.
“Cordons remain in place at the location.”
Members of the public have been asked to “please avoid the area if possible”.
#TraflgarSquare #News not sure whats happened... any updates anyone ? pic.twitter.com/70nWYvubPT
— Hard Cheese! (@SonOfTheWinds) January 27, 2023
A London Fire Brigade spokesperson said: “Firefighters were called to a person trapped on Charing Cross Road in central London.
“A man was trapped below street level underneath a hydraulic urinal. Firefighters worked with partner agencies and used a winch to free him.
“He was left in the care of London Ambulance Service and was sadly pronounced dead at the scene.”
The incident happened in Cambridge Circus - a junction connecting Charing Cross Road with Shaftesbury Avenue, in the heart of London’s hugely popular theatre district.
The urinal was located yards from the Palace Theatre, currently home to award-winning play Harry Potter and the Cursed Child.
Eyewitnesses reported seeing an air ambulance land in Trafalgar Square, while others described a “massive emergency response” in the area.
A winch was spotted at the scene around 3pm, and emergency workers used it to lift the urinal from the ground.
A London Ambulance Service spokesperson said: “We were called today (27 January) at 1.05pm to reports of an incident on Shaftesbury Avenue, Charing Cross.
“We sent a number of resources to the scene, including an ambulance crew, members of our hazardous area response team (HART), members of our tactical response unit and a medic in a fast response car. We also dispatched London’s Air Ambulance.
“Sadly, despite the best efforts of our crews, a man was pronounced dead at the scene.”
Major incident cemtral London..Chopper at Trafalgar Square. @EveningStandard no wonder THere were 4 ambulances in a row pic.twitter.com/L0vA401aWf
— Hard Cheese! (@SonOfTheWinds) January 27, 2023
A spokesperson for Westminster City Council said: “Our thoughts and deepest sympathies are with the friends and family of the worker who tragically died earlier today at this site in the West End.
“We have been on site supporting our contractor and the emergency services and will assist all investigations in any way we can.”
Telescopic urinals were introduced in central London more than a decade ago, as an innovative way to provide people late-night revellers with places to urinate.
They are designed to drop down into the ground to resemble manhole covers by day, but by night rise from the ground to provide valuable extra cover as pubs begin to empty.
The council said another telescopic urinal, in Villiers Street, was now closed until further notice while an investigation takes place.
