Freak Accident Kills Two Workers at JFK Airport in New York City
A tragic construction accident killed two airport workers at John F. Kennedy International Airport and has New York officials searching for answers.
The tragedy occurred late Monday morning, as New York firefighters were called in at 11:25 am.
According to WABC-TV, the workers were in the process of moving utility lines around the airport’s cogeneration plant when they were buried by rubble in a construction trench.
The trench was 30 feet deep, according to a Twitter post from the Fire Department of New York’s Uniformed Firefighters Association, the firefighters union.
Today, at JFK airport, members from Queens responded to an incident where two construction workers fell into a 30-foot deep trench. Upon arrival, they discovered that the workers were trapped at the bottom of a secure trench. pic.twitter.com/oG9sKO1r7Z
— FDNY UFA (@UFANYC) April 4, 2023
The work was being done to upgrade the airport’s electronic systems.
The accident took place near the airport’s bustling Terminals 7 and 5. It did not affect flights, according to WABC, but did snarl traffic in the area.
“Due to ongoing emergency activity, please expect roadway delays in vicinity of Terminals 5 and 7 at JFK Airport,” airport officials warned in a Twitter post, published at 12:44 p.m.
Unfortunately, the efforts of the 60 firefighters on the scene were not enough to save the two workers.
After they were pulled from the rubble, they were declared dead at the scene, according to WABC.
As reported by the station, the identities of the two workers have not been released.
The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, which runs the airport, has promised a thorough investigation to ascertain the cause of the incident.
“A stop order for all construction at JFK has been issued,” the port authority declared in a statement reported by WNYW-TV.
“The Port Authority is conducting a thorough investigation and will be cooperating with all other investigative agencies.”
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul released a statement on Twitter offering condolences to the workers’ families.
My thoughts are with the loved ones of two people tragically killed while working on a construction site at @JFKairport earlier today. @PANYNJ is conducting a thorough investigation of the incident.
— Governor Kathy Hochul (@GovKathyHochul) April 3, 2023
“My thoughts are with the loved ones of two people tragically killed while working on a construction site at @JFKairport earlier today,” Hochul stated.
She also assured New Yorkers that an investigation is ongoing concerning the matter.
The New York Post, citing fire department sources, reported that a concrete slab had fallen on the trench.
“They were in a trench and something fell on them,” the source said.
The cause of this apparent construction collapse is what authorities are looking to solve.
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