#Three workers killed after getting trapped in Indiana manhole

Cops and firefighters in Columbia City responded early Tuesday to a utility accident on South Main Street, where three male contractors were found inside a sewer manhole, Mayor Ryan Daniel said in a statement.

Five feet of water was also inside the manhole where the three men had been working, Daniel said.

Rescue workers from nearby Fort Wayne managed to pull the contractors out of the manhole before starting CPR, but they were pronounced dead at the scene. The cause of the accident remains under investigation, Daniel said.

“While all the details are unknown at this time, we will be working with all parties to determine ways in which these types of tragedies can be prevented in the future,” Daniel said in a statement. “We ask that our community join us in keeping these individuals and their families in our thoughts and prayers during this difficult time.”

It’s unclear how the men became trapped and exactly how they died, WANE reports.

The contractors were employed by a company hired by the city to work on a storm sewer project that started Tuesday, WPTA reports.

Autopsies will be conducted to determine the causes of death for the men, the station reports.