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Worker Still Trapped Under Machine Near Phoenix Sky Harbor Airport

A construction worker remains trapped in a trench underneath a downed drill rig near Sky Harbor Airport on Tuesday morning.

The heavy machine, which was being used on a construction site for PHX Sky Train, fell around 9:30 a.m. on Monday. Crews worked until almost midnight and managed to remove some of the heavy components, but were unable to access the trench, according to Captain Jake Van Hook of the Phoenix Fire Department.

Van Hook said the logistics of moving a 300,000-pound rig are complicated because the ground around the trench is unstable. 

The current plan is to truck in a large crane and resume rescue efforts between 8 a.m. and 10 a.m. Tuesday. The efforts near 27th Street and Buckeye Road have not affected any activities at the Sky Harbor International Airport.

The name and condition of the construction worker have not been released.

Claire Caulfield was a reporter and Morning Edition producer at KJZZ from 2015 to 2019.