Two workers killed when trench collapses in Mississippi

Published 7:46 am Wednesday, May 20, 2020

Rocks crushed two workers to death in a trench collapse at the site of town homes under construction in Mississippi.

The workers were in the trench laying pipe for sewer lines when it collapsed Tuesday morning, Starkville Fire Chief Charles Yarbrough told news outlets.

One worker died at the scene, Yarbrough said. That person was not immediately identified.

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The second worker, only identified as a 19-year-old man, was trapped in the rubble for more than two hours before being pulled out, loaded onto a helicopter and flown to the hospital.

He was later pronounced dead at North Mississippi Medical Center in Tupelo, Oktibbeha County Coroner Michael Hunt said.

The workers were from Southern Civil Contracting, Inc. based in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, according to news outlets.

Officials with the Occupational Safety and Health Administration were investigating.