ST PAUL, Minn. — Officials say they've recovered the bodies of two workers who were killed after a trench collapsed Friday afternoon in St. Paul.
St. Paul Fire officials said they were called to the area of West Pinehurst Avenue and Mount Curve Boulevard just after 2:40 p.m. on a report that two people were trapped inside a trench they were working in at a construction site. As rescue efforts went on, officials said the mission shifted from a technical rescue to a recovery mission.
According to St. Paul Fire, the first victim was found just before 9:30 p.m. Friday and the second was found at 2:30 a.m. Saturday.
A family member told KARE 11 that Jeff Jeanette was one of the two people killed.
"I was in north Minneapolis and I got a call from his neighbor ... saying he was buried alive," said Jeanette's son, Joseph. "I was devastated. I came here, I seen all the lights, I destroyed my phone and I ran. I didn't know what else to do."
Officials first received calls about the collapse just before 3 p.m., one of which was from Flo Farnhum.
"This kid ran out of the debris over there and kept saying 'Can they breathe down there?' And I didn't know what he was talking about," said Farnhum, who was in her car nearby when she was flagged down by the frantic teen. "Then I realized someone was down there and I dialed 911."
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