(LEAD) 2 workers die, 2 critically wounded while cleaning inside manhole in Daegu

(ATTN: UPDATES with number of deaths; AMENDS headline)

DAEGU, June 27 (Yonhap) -- Two workers died of asphyxiation and two were critically injured on Saturday while cleaning inside a manhole in the southeastern South Korean city of Daegu, fire officials said.

The accident happened at a recycling center in Daegu, 300 kilometers southeast of Seoul, at 5:42 p.m.

Two workers, who suffered cardiac arrest, died while being treated at a hospital. Another two workers nearly lost consciousness after they suffered asphyxiation, fire officials said.

Police were investigating the cause of the accident.
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