2 Construction Workers Dead After Trench Collapse at JFK Airport
The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey said it has issued a stop order for all construction following the incident
Two construction workers were killed after a trench they were working in collapsed at New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport on Monday, according to The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, which manages the airport.
The agency said in a press release that two workers got trapped under construction rubble at approximately 11:08 a.m. local time.
The New York City Fire Department responded to the scene near the airport's Terminal 7 with 12 units and about 60 firefighters, the Associated Press reported. Emergency medical services, Port Authority police and New York Police Department's Emergency Service Unit also responded to the scene.
Emergency workers used an excavator as well as ropes, pulleys and chains to try to get the construction workers out, according to CBS News.
Despite efforts to save the workers, they were pronounced dead at the scene, the Port Authority said. Their bodies were pulled out of the rubble just after 1 p.m., CBS News reported. The identities of the workers have not yet been released.
JFK Airport warned passengers of traffic delays near Terminals 5 and 7 as emergency workers in the area, per WABC-TV, however airport officials told the station that flights were not impacted.
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The Port Authority told PEOPLE the workers had been relocating utility lines near the airport's cogeneration facility in preparation for the JFK airport's redevelopment project, which is set to "redevelop, modify and expand" some of the airport's existing facilities.
The Port Authority said it has issued a stop order for all construction at the airport and is conducting an investigation of the incident. It also said a "temporary safety stand down remains until safety reviews have been conducted."
My thoughts are with the loved ones of two people tragically killed while working on a construction site at @JFKairport earlier today. @PANYNJ is conducting a thorough investigation of the incident.
— Governor Kathy Hochul (@GovKathyHochul) April 3, 2023
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Following the tragedy, Gov. Kathy Hochul released a statement on Twitter sending her condolences to the families of the victims.
"My thoughts are with the loved ones of two people tragically killed while working on a construction site at @JFKairport earlier today," Hochul tweeted. "@PANYNJ is conducting a thorough investigation of the incident."
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