COLUMBIA CITY, Ind. (AP) - Three men died Tuesday after becoming trapped underground while working on a sewer project in northeastern Indiana’s Columbia City, officials said.
Emergency crews were called about 9 a.m. about the contractors being trapped inside a sewer manhole, according to a statement from the mayor’s office. The men were found 20 feet below the surface in about 5 feet of water.
Firefighters brought the men to the surface, but medics were unable to revive them and they were pronounced dead at the scene.
Mayor Ryan Daniel expressed condolences to those killed, saying the cause for the accident was under investigation in the city about 20 miles west of Fort Wayne.
The identities of those killed were not immediately released.
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