Two people died Thursday in a construction-site accident in Delta Junction, according to authorities.
Alaska State Troopers say 68-year-old Paul Hebert and 71-year-old Jackie Wilder were killed when the 13-foot-deep trench they were working in collapsed. Both victims were residents of Delta.
Troopers say they got report at around 1:30 p.m. Thursday that two people had been buried while installing a septic system at a local medical clinic.
Rural Deltana Volunteer Fire Department also responded to the incident at the Delta Medical Center on Remington Road.
According to a fire department spokesperson, Fort Greely emergency personnel and a local construction company helped excavate the site.
EMTs then recovered the victims and declared them deceased. Next of kin were notified.
The trooper dispatch said the bodies were being sent to the State Medical Examiner's Office for autopsy.
A trooper spokesperson said in an email Saturday that the agency is looking into the accident. He said the investigation is specific to determining if any criminal conduct contributed to a person’s death.
He added that authorities have not identified any criminal conduct, and they’re awaiting the outcome of the autopsy from the Medical Examiner’s Office.
