October 16, 2009 - Man Dies in Atlanta Trench Collapse

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A construction worker died after being buried under 5 feet of dirt in a sewer-trench collapse, an Atlanta Fire and Rescue official said .

Dave Rhodes, a battalion chief, said the male victim was buried for nearly 4 hours before rescue workers removed his body from the 9-foot-deep trench Thursday night, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported.

Rhodes said the collapse at the construction site for a Habitat for Humanity home was due to heavy rain.

"With the rain that we had, it was a classic collapse," Rhodes said.

A second man was rescued from the trench following the collapse, the newspaper said.

Rhodes said the Occupational Safety and Health Administration is investigating to ensure safety regulations had been met.