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Investigation Launched Into Worker's Death At Port Of Oakland

OAKLAND (CBS SF) -- Investigators are still trying to figure out what led to the death of a worker at the Port of Oakland on Monday afternoon.

Oakland police responded to a report of a death near the 1100 block of Embarcadero West at 2:33 p.m., Officer J. Moore said.

The worker was operating a crane when he fell and died at the scene, U.S. Coast Guard Lt. j.g. Mark Leahey said.

The victim was a crew member who served as the chief engineer aboard Portuguese ship "Albert Oldendorff," Leahey said.

The vessel was docked at Schnitzer Steel Industries, a metals recycling company, but the worker was not a part of the business' ship loading staff, company spokeswoman Jackie Ray said.

The Coast Guard is leading an investigation into the incident and working to determine whether the death was caused by a medical condition or an industrial accident, Leahey said.

The ship arrived at the Schnitzer facility at 1101 Embarcadero West on Saturday morning but Ray could not provide further details about the death.

A General Steamship Agencies employee said the vessel came from Crockett in Contra Costa County carrying scrap metal.

The Alameda County coroner's bureau is not releasing the man's name because investigators are having difficulty contacting his family overseas. Leahey said the victim is Polish.

(Copyright 2013 by CBS San Francisco and Bay City News Service. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

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