A WORKER was killed in a tragedy at a Huddersfield chemical firm early today.

The man from Marsden died after he was rescued from a chemical mixing tank by firefighters.

Now police, fire and Health And Safety officials are all investigating the circumstances surrounding his death at Grosvenor Chemicals in Linthwaite at 2am today.

Site director George Randall said: "He was in a vessel which he should not have been in.

"He died after he entered a tank and the fire brigade managed to get him out.

"The Health And Safety Executive are due on site to investigate the incident.

Mr Randall added: "He was a young man who had worked at the site for 10 years.

"We are all devastated. I personally know all his family and I'm a friend to all of them."

Mr Randall confirmed the site would be closed down for the rest of the day.

West Yorkshire Fire And Rescue Service Assistant Divisional Officer Peter Phillips, who was in charge of the incident, said: "The man was in a large stainless steel blending vessel.

"It is a closed container and the access to it is a small hatch which is less than 2ft in diameter.

"The man was unconscious and lying about 10ft down on a white powder chemical near the mixing blades which were not turning at the time.

"The chemical is toxic and there were fumes in there."

Slaithwaite and Marsden fire crews were the first on the scene and one firefighter from each station clambered into the tank wearing breathing apparatus.

The entrance hatch was so narrow they put their masks on and the oxygen tanks were then handed down to them.

They put a rope around the worker and he was then hauled up by other firefighters.

Paramedics were waiting and immediately started work on him to try to save his life.

But he was pronounced dead a short time later at Huddersfield Royal Infirmary.

He has not been named and no further details have been revealed about him.

Fire crews from Huddersfield, Cleckheaton and a specialist `confined space' rescue team from Elland fire station were also involved in the incident.