Trench walls collapse, kill construction worker in Manitoba

A 39-year-old man who was part of a construction crew digging a trench has died after he wasburied by collapsed walls.

RCMP were called to the work site on Hillside Road in Oakbank, just east of Winnipeg, around 1:30 p.m. Wednesday.

Emergency personnel worked late into the night and on Thursday morning to locate the man.

It wasn't until 9:30 a.m. Thursday that the man was found and pronounced dead at the scene, said Manitoba RCMP spokesperson Cpl. Julie Courchaine.

"Obviously [it was] a very difficult call, very tragic for the family, for the workers, for everyone," she said. "This is never anything that you want to go to or be a part of."

Courchaine said the trench ranged in depth from five feet, or 1.5 metres, to about 12 feet, or more than 3.5 metres. The trench was likely being dug for a water line for a new house thatis being built, she said.

Courchaine said crews had to be careful not to endanger anyone else while trying to rescue the man.

"Safety was the big thing. It just wasn't safe to dig and to just go right in there," she said. "We didn't want anyone else to get hurt."

Emergency personnel from the surrounding areas, the fire department from the rural municipality of Springfield and a specialized team with the Winnipeg Fire ParamedicService had rushed to the work site.

RCMP andWorkplace Safety and Health continue to investigate.

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