Melbourne, July 9 (ANI): A 29-year-old worker lost his balance, fell into a vat of molten chocolate, and, despite his colleagues battling to save him, died.

The mishap with Vincent Smith II took place at a factory in Camden, New Jersey.

He was with three workers dumping chunks of chocolate into the simmering liquid, when he somehow lost his balance.

TV pictures showed one of his distraught colleagues standing outside the factory, with his clothes covered in chocolate. He had apparently tried to rescue the man.

Vincent had died by the time emergency services arrived at the scene 10 minutes later.

Jason Laughlin, spokesman for the Camden County Prosecutor's Office, said that an probe into the incident had been launched.

"He somehow slipped and fell into the vat," News.com.au quoted him as saying.

"Inside the vat, he was hit by a piece of equipment called the agitator that's used to stir, and that killed him," he added.

According to Laughlin, the Cocoa Services Inc plant was around 8ft deep.

"At this point there's no suggestion of foul play. It appears to be an accident," he said.

"This man unfortunately fell into this hole and passed away before anyone could rescue him," he added.

Cocoa Services employs another company, named Lyons and Sons, to do the mixing at the factory. (ANI)