Rescuers Search For Missing Man In Collapsed Bunker On Cape
BARNSTABLE (CBS) - A massive search and rescue operation is underway in the woods of Hyannis Ponds in Barnstable, where a trench and tunnel network was discovered.
Police fear 29-year-old Jason Bryant of West Yarmouth may be buried inside after a portion of the trench collapsed, and now massive boulders are blocking entrance to the tunnels.
"This wasn't dug in a few days, it was dug over the course of some time," said Sgt. Sean Sweeney of the Barnstable Police Department.
Crews were seen at the site digging and passing buckets of dirt as they try to excavate the area. They spent considerable time shoring up the unstable walls of the trench made of soft sand.
WBZ-TV's Beth Germano reports.
The question "why was it constructed?" has been put aside for now. But they believe a missing West Yarmouth man is responsible for the bunker he apparently dug himself. His green GMC pickup truck was found in the area by dog walkers, along with personal items such as a backpack.
Police say a dog walker noticed Bryant in the woods as far back as early May, at one point carrying an axe along a trail, and the sounds of shoveling could be heard.
Bryant was gone from his family's home over Memorial Day weekend, and when he didn't return by Monday they grew concerned.
WBZ NewsRadio 1030's Don Huff reports.
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The discovery of the trench itself was called "bizarre."
"You could probably put a small compact car in one of them, a tunnel goes off from that. A six-foot ladder drops into one of the pits," said Sgt. Sweeney.
Crews sent in robotic cameras to get a closer look, but so far they have been unsuccessful. They now plan to bring in heavier equipment to move some boulders blocking access to some of the tunnels where they are desperate to search.
