Shoreline Trench Collapse: 2 Construction Workers Recovered, ID'd

SHORELINE, WA — The bodies of two construction workers were recovered Wednesday morning, two days after a trench collapsed in a residential Shoreline neighborhood. The trench caved in Monday on the 600 block of NW 163rd Street, burying the two men, and fire crews were called for a technical rescue.

On Wednesday morning, crews said both workers died.

"The area was deemed unstable and unsafe to continue the recovery process. The crews had to clear the area," the Shoreline Fire Department said in a Facebook post.

After repeated unsuccessful attempts to recover the bodies, rescuers stopped for the night due to the unstable environment.

"We will continue our efforts with several partners in the morning," the fire department said. "Our hearts are with these families!"

Crews recovered the bodies around 4:10 a.m. Wednesday, Shoreline Fire Department spokesperson Michelle Pidduck told KING-TV. According to The Seattle Times, the King County Medical Examiner's Office identified the victims as David Ameh, 66, and Demetrius Seller, 32, and ruled both men died from suffocation.

The men were reportedly repairing a sewer line.