A RULING on how and why two men fell into a huge silo and died at a Merseyside chip board factory could take months.

Police are examining how Thomas Elmer and James Bibby became trapped within the machinery on Tuesday at Sonae Uk Ltd, in Kirkby.

The men, aged 27 and 25, were killed almost instantly when they plunged into the container on the Knowsley Industrial Estate premises.

On Friday, both bodies were finally recovered from the silo after emergency services had extricated them after a three-day operation.

Detectives remain in charge of the investigation at this stage as they probe the reasons behind the accident.

Officers have to be satisfied no criminal charges can be filed before the case is referred to the Health and Safety Executive.

All options remain open at present, and police will even consider if the question of corporate manslaughter should be applicable.

For that scenario, proof would be needed that management at the Moss Lane plant were aware safety procedures were awry.

So far, police have interviewed a number of employees from Sonae who were on site at the time of the tragedy.

Managers from the wood chip firm are understood to be cooperating fully with the investigation.

After Merseyside Police have completed their probe, the Crown Prosecution Service will decide how next to proceed.

If no criminal charges are necessary, the Health and Safety Executive will begin their own enquiry.

Mr Elmer and Mr Bibby were agency staff who had been contracted to perform maintenance on a conveyor belt which feeds the storage silo. It was on this belt, insiders said, that the men fell into the container and quickly became trapped.

Sonae were contacted, but they declined to comment.

A spokesman for Merseyside Police said: “We can confirm that the two men killed in Tuesday’s industrial incident have now been formally identified.

“A joint investigation into the incident by Merseyside Police and the Health and Safety Executive is under way.”