Third worker dies after trench collapse

RICHMOND, Texas - A construction trench collapsed Saturday, killing three workers who were buried in 14 feet of dirt, authorities said.

Workers who rushed to the collapsed area and began digging through the rubble discovered Gerardo Sanchez Vasquez after hearing his pleas for help and finding his head protruding from the collapsed ground.

The bodies of his two buried colleagues were located a few hours after he was removed.

Vasquez, 49, was pronounced dead shortly after he was flown by helicopter to a hospital in Houston, spokeswoman Amy Berryman said.

The trench caved in at a construction site for a Home Depot hardware store in Richmond, about 25 miles southwest of Houston, Richmond Police Capt. George Paruch said. He said the trench - about 16 feet deep and about 10 feet wide - had been braced to prevent a collapse.

The bodies of the two unidentified men, who were found a few hours after Vasquez, still were being extricated late Saturday, Paruch said.

The cause of the collapse hadn't been determined. Investigators with the Occupational Safety and Health Administration were at the site.

On the Net:

OSHA: http://www.osha.gov/