Workers Trapped In Pacific Palisades Trench

PACIFIC PALISADES (CNS) - Two workers became trapped in a trench in the Pacific Palisades area this afternoon, and one of them was buried up to his chest and unconscious, authorities said.

The second man in that trench rescue has died, according to reports
from the scene.

About 75 firefighters were sent to the 200 block of North Temescal Canyon Road, at Pacific Coast Highway, about 1:35 p.m., said Erik Scott of the Los Angeles Fire Department.

One of the men, who had been buried up to knee-level, was freed more than an hour into the rescue operation.

Crews were using specialized equipment to shore up the trench in an effort to free the unconscious -- an effort that was expected to last for "an extended period," Scott said around 3 p.m.

Paramedics, some of whom were members of the fire department's Urban Search and Rescue Team, were "working very hard to remove him as rapidly as possible," Scott said, "but we have to minimize movement around the hole." He said the whole operation "was a very delicate prospect."

Scott said the trench was 20 feet long and U-shaped, but its depth was unclear.