Rescuers spend 3 hours freeing worker half-buried in trench collapse at construction site

A man is in hospital with lower-body injuries after being trapped in a trench collapse at a construction site in East Vancouver late Thursday.

Personnel from Vancouver Fire Rescueused a vacuum truckand spent three hours freeing the man, whose legs were buried in debris.

"It was very complicated," said Assistant Fire Chief Trevor Connelly.

"Our technical team was called so they could get down in the holeand render first aid. Then they had to free him bycarefully removing thedirt from around his legs. He was eventually removed from the excavation by rope."

Two other men who were working in the trench when it gave wayaround 11 p.m. PTmanaged to free themselves.

The excavation is part of a construction project underway at VannessAvenue and Joyce Street.