A slaughterhouse worker has died in an industrial accident in Brabant.

The fatal incident happened in a lift at the Van Rooi Meat factory in Helmond on Tuesday evening, but the exact circumstances are unclear, police said.

Two ambulances, police teams and fire crews were called to the plant on Roggedijk at around 9.30pm, local newspaper ED reported. An air ambulance also responded but did not land.

Paramedics were unable to revive the man and he was pronounced dead at the scene. Police said it was likely he was a migrant worker.

Forensic investigators have been gathering evidence at the scene. A team from the labour inspectorate also visited the site following the incident.

A report by the labour inspectorate two years ago found that young migrant workers were at greater risk of dying in industrial accidents, particularly in their first few weeks of working in the Netherlands.

It found that 5% of the industrial accidents in 2023 involved young foreign workers who had been in the country less than four months. Four per cent of accidents involving this group were fatal, compared to 2% for workers in general.

The inspectorate said communication problems in workplaces where different languages were spoken contributed to the problem.

Migrants were also more likely to work in dangerous industries and reluctant to complain about safety issues, as many of them rely on their employer for their accommodation.