Police in East London have opened investigations into the death of a Ghanaian worker who was apparently hit by a falling crate at a clothes recycling depot.
Kwame Acheampong was struck on the head by the object while working at Moosh, a textile recycling company based in south-east London.
A witness said Mr Acheampong, whose wife and children are understood to live in Ghana, was hit by a crate at the company’s warehouse on the Europa trading estate in , at 10am on Friday last week.
Medics including London Air Ambulance staff tried to save him but he died at the scene.
Mr Acheampong’s brother-in-law Richard Donkor today described him as a “father figure” who had financed his education.
Mr Donkor, a preacher who lives in Ghana, said: “I have lost a great man in my life. A man who was my brother-in-law but played his role as a father to me when I lost my father in 2001.
“You have done a lot for me but you did not live for me to do my part. Your wife is crying. Your children are sad. I can’t control my tears.”
The death is being treated as unexplained and the Health and Safety Executive is assisting the police in their investigation.
Moosh is a family-run textiles recycling company which has been operating for 25 years, sorting and processing 300 tonnes of textiles a week.
Emily Howell, general manager at Moosh, said the company was unable to comment.
Police said a post-mortem examination had confirmed that Mr Acheampong died from a serious head injury.