Buried California Workers Rescued

TORRANCE, Calif. --

Two workers trapped about 15 feet underground for more than three hours Wednesday as the walls of a construction project collapsed were rescued, KNBC's Chuck Henry reported.

Just after 6 p.m., workers installing tanks at a Shell station at 109th Street and Crenshaw Boulevard were reported to have fallen into the holes.

More than 50 firefighters assisted the two men, using buckets to remove the sand the men were buried in as a result of the collapse.

One worker was buried up to the waist, the other up to the neck, Henry reported. The men, one of whom a foreman who had been assisting rescue workers from underground, had been administered oxygen, according to Henry.

The use of a giant dirt vacuum made the efforts considerably more efficient, fire officials said. When a path was cleared, the workers climbed out of the holes with the assistance of the firefighters.

Upon being rescued, one of the workers declined to speak with KNBC, while the other was getting medical attention.

The workers were going to be OK, officials said. Henry reported the foreman said he would likely be back on the job Thursday.

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