Man, 27, dead after trench collapse in northwest Calgary

Calgary's fire department says a man has died after he was buried in a collapsed trench while doing sewer repairs.

First responders were called at about 10:45 a.m. Thursday to a back alley in the 2600 block of 34th Avenue N.W. in Charleswood, where a large volume of earth fell on a worker, according to Calgary Fire Department spokesperson Carol Henke.

Calgary Fire Department battalion chief Keith Stahl said late Thursday that after hours of work, crews were able to expose the trench and found the man dead. 

Stahl said the man is 27, and he was identified as the missing worker from the site.

"Crews right now at this time are continuing to work on removal of the individual from the trench, which is going to involve extensive safety precautions because it is an unsafe trench at this time," Stahl said. 

He said the man is expected to be removed and brought to the medical examiner later in the night. 

Earlier Thursday, CFD said the man works for a private plumbing company. 

A CFD media release said he had gone down the ladder into a hole, which had been dug the day before, and a large amount of earth collapsed on top of him from the steep slope above. Firefighters used tools to remove the sandy soil and parts of the cinder block retaining wall, but heavy equipment was needed to remove the surrounding dirt to get to the trapped man.

Crews were on scene for most of the day working to recover the body. An excavator and a vacuum truck were brought to the scene to assist the fire department's technical rescue team. The city also confirmed that the work was being done by a private outfit and was not a water services project. 

Stahl said once recovery efforts are finished, the area will be fenced off, and Alberta Occupational Health and Safety, the medical examiner and Calgary police will investigate. Remediation of the property will start afterwards.

The man was working on a ladder in the three- to six-metre deep trench when it caved in.

Henke said the city is working with a track hoe and dump trucks that have "taken away many loads of dirt to clear the area around where the hole was." 

A spokesperson for the Calgary police said its victim assistance support team is being made available to those who were involved in the incident or witnessed it.