A young welder in his early twenties died yesterday after a 1,000kg section of gas pipe fell on top of his head, also trapping his legs.

Gil Churra Flores, who was employed by Cap Welding, died shortly before 5pm yesterday afternoon as he and his colleagues were installing the pipes outside the premises of the Grúas Jaso company in Itsasondo (Guipúzcoa).

An inquiry has been opened to determine exactly how the pipe section became detached from the top of a stack of four.