Five workers at Nanjing Ningxu Shipbuilding suffered from intoxication in a vessel under construction at the yard on Friday.
According to local reports, the workers were cleaning inside the bottom of a cargo vessel which was near completion when they suffered intoxication and fainted from the high paint concentration in the cabin.
One of the workers struggled out and called for help. Two of the workers died after being sent to hospital, while the other three recovered.
Local authorities have started investigations into the incident.
