Merseyside Police have confirmed that two men killed at Sonae’s Knowsley chipboard plant on December 7 were 27-year-old Thomas Elmer and 25-year-old James Bibby from Waterfoot, Rossendale.
It took six days for formal identification to take place due to the inaccessibility of the bodies. Specialist police and fire officers worked around the clock of to recover them.
A joint investigation into the incident by Merseyside Police and the Health & Safety Executive is under way.
The two men were maintenance sub-contractors working for Sonae’s machinery maintenance contractor Metso.
Their families have released tributes. Mr Elmer’s family said they were extremely proud of all of his achievements, which included competing in the Times Clipper round the world race from Rio De Janeiro to New York and on to Portsmouth.
