NATIONAL CITY, Calif. (KGTV) — First responders in National City rescued a man trapped in a hole at a construction site at the Plaza Bonita Mall on Monday. He was transported to a hospital.
According to the National City Fire Department, the call came in at 1:17 p.m.
A battalion chief on the scene said a plumber was working in a trench when a part of it collapsed on him, trapping him from the waist down.
Crews initially tried to rescue him by using a pulley system to bring him out vertically, but that was unsuccessful. As of 6 p.m., crews who worked in pairs, used buckets and a shovel to dig out the dirt around the plumber to bring him out safely.
The chief on the scene describes the process as slow and methodical.
NCFD said the man was alert, talking with rescue crews and has no apparent injuries.
The construction site is at the location that used to be the John’s Incredible Pizza and the site of a future bowling alley.
The Chula Vista Fire Department is also assisting in the rescue.
