"They did everything they could": St. Paul firefighters provide update after 2 workers die in trench collapse
ST. PAUL, Minn. – St. Paul Firefighters have recovered the two construction workers killed when a trench collapsed on them Friday afternoon.
The accident happened in the 700 Block of Mt. Curve shortly before 3 p.m. Friday. A third person on the scene was able to call 911, but first responders say there was not enough time to attempt to save the two workers.
"They did everything they could for the best outcome. Unfortunately, the best outcome in this situation was not a rescue," said Deputy Fire Chief Roy Mokosso on Saturday.
He says when emergency crews arrived, part of one of the workers was visible through the rubble. Firefighters would recover the second worker nearly 12 hours later.
"I'd like to say that every situation has a happy outcome in this situation. We were able to recover the victims, but unfortunately not rescue them," Mokosso said. "You can't use heavy equipment in a situation like this, because in a rescue situation you might cause a fatality. You can't use heavy hand tools in a situation like this because you might dismember the individual you're looking to save or recover."
St. Paul Public Works crews and Minneapolis firefighter assisted with St. Paul Fire Department's efforts into Saturday morning.
The two construction workers killed have not been identified.
Mokosso says the firefighters who worked to recover the two workers had Saturday off and will participate in a debriefing effort in the coming days.
