A Chinese factory worker jumped into a super-heated 900C steel furnace and was burnt alive after allegedly losing £6,000 on the stock market.
Wang Long, 34, went missing from a night shift at the Chinese steel factory where he worked before surveillance footage revealed the disturbing chain of events leading to his death.
A shocking video shows the man looking into the furnace during a smelting operation, before taking off his helmet and jumping into the furnace.
His employers, Baogang Group, said it was suspected his death was related to a “large amount of losses” and that he “could not repay his heavy debts.”
Wang Long had worked for the company, one of China’s major steel producers, for more than a decade.
According to colleagues, the “introverted” factory worker, who was unmarried, had been trading on the stock market for a long time.
He is said to have lost more than 60,000 yuan – about £6,000 – from his investments on the day of his death when China’s financial indexes fell to their lowest in three months.
“It’s suspected that his suicide was related to the large amount of losses and that he could not repay his heavy debts,” said the steel company in a statement.
“We feel deeply sorry for his death. We are proactively appeasing the emotions of his family and carrying out psychological guidance for our workers.”
The management team at Baogang Group’s plant in Baotou, North China’s Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, said counselling would be given to other employees after the tragedy.
Police have determined the steel worker’s death to be suicide, after ruling out murder.
