UPDATE: Worker Dies Trapped in Temescal Canyon Trench [VIDEO]

Updated 10:45 p.m., Thursday:

PACIFIC PALISADES, CA -- A construction worker died Thursday while trapped in a deep dirt trench on Temescal Canyon Road, despite efforts by more than 100 firefighters to pull him to safety.

A second worker who was also trapped was safely rescued around 3:15 p.m. He was hospitalized in serious condition, according to the Los Angeles County Fire Department.

The workers might have been excavating with back hoes when the trench collapsed on them around 1:30 p.m., fire officials said.

LAFD Batallion 9 Chief Albert Ward said firefighters and rescue personnel would work through the night to retrieve the deceased worker's body.

"We still can’t get to him,” Ward said around 4 p.m.

Paramedics recovered the body around 9:30 p.m. and it was transported to the Los Angeles County Department of Coroner. The worker's identification, time and cause of death have not been determined.

Fire officials estimated the trench, which is part of the Temescal Canyon Stormwater Project near Pacific Coast Highway, is 15 to 20 feet deep.

Investigators with Cal-OSHA, the Los Angeles Police Department and the Department of Building and Safety are on scene. Members of Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa's Crisis Response Team provided on-scene crisis intervention.

According to Palisades Patrol, Temescal Canyon is closed at Sunset Boulevard and PCH. During most of the afternoon Thursday, Sunset Boulevard was jammed westbound all the way to PCH. PCH northbound is also packed from the McClure Tunnel to Topanga Canyon Boulevard.

Patch will update this incident as more information becomes available. Santa Monica Patch Editor Jenna Chandler contributed to this report.

Pacific Palisades Patch: Facebook | Twitter | E-mail Updates |