VIDEO: A man has reportedly been rescued from a sinkhole after being trapped underground for several hours. Fire crews and police officers were seen on 13th Avenue South at East 39th Street Wednesday night and early Thursday morning performing a rescue operation. According to the Minneapolis Fire Department, a drain worker became stuck in a 14-foot hole, pinned under sand just above his waist. Using a tripod and rope above the hole, fire crews were able to connect the man to a body harness as a vacuum was used to suck sand out of the hole. Rescue workers also stabilized the sides of the hole to keep sand from collapsing back onto the man.
Additional assistance was requested from St. Paul and the Hennepin County medical team, the latter of whom provided occasional medical care to the man as workers continued their rescue operation. It took around six hours before the man was seen emerging from the hole, walking out on his own, before getting onto a stretcher and being taken into an ambulance. The Minneapolis Fire Department said he was transported to the hospital for medical evaluation and treatment, and no other injuries were reported.
