After six hours of work, rescue crews free man trapped underground in Minneapolis

Minneapolis fire officials say it took six hours to rescue a man trapped overnight in a 14-foot-deep hole on the city’s south side.

Authorities said the man was working on a drain for a private company on the 3800 block of 13th Avenue South, when he became trapped at about 9:30 p.m. on Wednesday.

“Upon arrival, fire crews found an adult male in a minimally shored-up hole approximately 5 x 10 feet, pinned under sand just above his waist,” the Minneapolis Fire Department reported in a news release.

Crews at the scene called for a city street department vacuum truck to help suction sand from the hole.

“Minneapolis Fire rescue crews set up a tripod above the hole with a rope connected to a body harness and were able to get the harness on the male to use to pull him up as the sand was removed,” the fire department reported. “While sand was suctioned out of the hole Minneapolis rescue crews worked to stabilize the sides of the hole to keep the sand from collapsing back in on the male.”

After several hours, Minneapolis fire officials asked for mutual aid from the St. Paul Fire Department — both personnel and equipment. Rescue crews from both cities worked together to keep the sides of the hole stable — and monitor the man’s condition — as more sand was removed. They also pumped hot air into the hole, to keep the man warm.

“After about 6 hours, the male was pulled out of the hole and was able to walk on his own to the waiting ambulance. He was transported to the local hospital for additional medical evaluations and treatment,” the fire department reported.

There were no updates on his condition as of late Thursday morning. No one else was injured.

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