Routine construction work at New York’s JFK airport turned tragic when two men became trapped in a trench and died from injuries sustained in the process.
It is still unclear what the two construction workers were doing, how they became trapped, or what mechanism led to their horrific fate. A statement released by the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey promised “a thorough investigation” and that they would “be cooperating with all other investigative agencies.”
“At the time of the incident, workers were relocating utility lines in the vicinity of [the] cogeneration plant to support the increased energy needs of the JFK redevelopment project,” the statement continued. “The temporary safety standdown remains until safety reviews have been conducted.”
While many questions remain, the statement did offer some insights into the fatal accident, which occurred Monday morning. It suggested two workers became “trapped” under construction rubble some thirty feet down, suggesting perhaps a collapse of critical infrastructure.
Almost immediately, more than 60 first responders – many of them firefighters – converged on the chaotic scene and began attempting to exfiltrate and rescue the two trapped men. They were unfortunately declared dead at the scene.
CBS New York reported on the tragic events. Take a look below.
After the incident, the Port Authority stopped all construction work at the airport and said it would not release the names of victims until kin had been notified first. “A stop order for all construction at JFK has been issued,” the Port Authority said, adding “names of the deceased and the company name are pending next of kin notification.”
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul tweeted: “My thoughts are with the loved ones of two people tragically killed while working on a construction site at JFK Airport earlier today.”
“Due to ongoing emergency activity, please expect roadway delays in vicinity of Terminals 5 and 7 at JFK Airport,” the airport’s official account said in a tweet as the response effort was ongoing.
JFK airport has been the scene of many frightening episodes already in 2023. In January of this year, two commercial jets nearly collided on the runway as one was taxiing and the other departing. Passengers and crew recounted that a disastrous collision was just seconds away.
The New York Post reported the near-accident at the time, writing:
Around 8:45 p.m., Delta Flight 1943 was preparing for takeoff when American Airlines Flight 106 was spotted crossing onto the Delta plane’s runway.
″F—! Delta 1943, cancel takeoff clearance! Delta 1943, cancel takeoff clearance!” an air controller said in an audio recording of air traffic control communications when he noticed the American Airlines flight blocking the Delta plane’s path. The recording was made by LiveATC, a website that monitors and posts flight communications.
Delta’s pilots hit the brakes in the nick of time to avoid a crash, with the Boeing 737 plane traveling at 115 mph stopping just 1,000 feet away from the other aircraft that had crossed from an adjacent taxiway, according to a statement from the FAA.
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Featured image: Screen shot from embedded YouTube video.
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