A homeless man was accidentally discovered inside a garbage bin in the Greek city of Thessaloniki and narrowly avoided serious injury after sanitation workers intervened just in time during waste collection operations.

The incident occurred at around 00:40 local time on a central street in the city, during heavy rainfall. Municipal cleaning staff were carrying out routine garbage collection when they realized that a person was inside one of the green waste containers being emptied into a garbage truck.

The workers immediately stopped the operation and removed the man before he could be drawn into the truck’s compaction system, which could have resulted in fatal injuries.

Emergency services were called to the scene, and the man was transported to a local hospital, where he was treated for minor injuries. He is reported to be in stable condition.

Following the incident, sanitation workers provided statements to local authorities as part of standard procedure. Officials from the city’s sanitation services praised the quick reaction of the crew, noting that their vigilance prevented a tragic outcome despite difficult working conditions caused by the severe weather.