CLAYSVILLE, Pa. --
Two 14-year-old boys are still recovering after falling into a well over the weekend.
Rescuers said the fall happened inside a dollar-store basement in Claysville, Washington County.
The new owner of the business said he didn't even know the old fashioned cistern well was there.
He said he hired the two teenagers to clear out the basement for storage. While they were cleaning, they fell into the 20-foot well.
Rescuers said the teenagers landed in frigid, shoulder-deep water. One of the boys stood on the other's shoulders and screamed for help for 20 minutes.
Once the boys were found, it took firefighters another 25 minutes to hoist them to safety.
"So the rescue was actually done in a manual fashion, with a hand-over-hand lift by several of our firefighters," said Brad Simms, of the Claysville Fire Department.
Hospital officials said one of the boys suffered scrapes and bruises and the other suffered a shoulder injury.
They were still hospitalized Sunday evening.
Copyright 2008 by ThePittsburghChannel. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.