A trench collapse in San Francisco claimed the life of a construction worker on Thursday, trapping him under several feet of dirt. Fire officials said they tried to rescue him for about two hours near Oak and Divisadero streets, but he did not survive.
“Unfortunately, this became a fatal incident after he spent two hours without oxygen under a lot of debris,” said Capt. Jonathan Baxter of the San Francisco Fire Department.
The worker was in a narrow trench that was 8 to 10 feet deep when it caved in, according to officials.
“Our people had to use hands and buckets to dig out the sand and dirt at first,” said Fire Chief Jeanine Nicholson.
A search and rescue dog helped locate the worker, and a huge vacuum truck removed the dirt and debris that covered him.
It took another two hours for the crews to retrieve his body from the trench.