Man dies after being crushed by hydraulic urinal at Cambridge Circus
A man has died after being crushed by a telescopic urinal in central London.
The maintenance worker was trapped while working on a hydraulic urinal at Cambridge Circus in the heart of the West End.
Emergency services worked for three hours to free the man under street level.
Shaftesbury Avenue and Charing Cross Road both remain closed as rescue efforts continue.
Four fire engines and around 25 firefighters from Soho, Euston and Dowgate fire stations were at the scene. An air ambulance had landed at nearby Trafalgar Square.
In a statement on Twitter, the Metropolitan Police 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 have been informed. Cordons remain in place at the location.”
The man was understood to have been trapped underneath a type of pop-up urinal, also known as a telescopic urinal, that is stored underground during the day and brought out at night.
The incident is described as “ongoing” and roads have been shut.
A London Ambulance Service spokesperson: "The man trapped under street level under a hydraulic urinal on Cambridge Circus has been freed. He has been left in the care of the Ambulance Service.
Earlier a Metropolitan Police spokesperson said: “Police were called at around 1.10pm on Friday January 27, to a seriously injured man at Cambridge Circus, W1.
“The man is thought to have sustained crush injuries while working on a ‘telescopic urinal’ at the location.
“LFB, LAS and London’s Air Ambulance are in attendance. Officers are assisting with road closures.”A London Fire Brigade spokesman said: “Firefighters have been called to a person trapped on Charing Cross Road in central London.
“A man is trapped underneath a hydraulic urinal. Firefighters are working with paramedics to affect a rescue.
“The brigade was called at 1.05pm. Four fire engines and around 25 firefighters from Soho, Euston and Dowgate fire stations are at the scene.”