THE VILLAGES, FL (352Today.com) – One person has been taken as a trauma alert to Orlando Regional Medical Center, and a second remains trapped after a trench incident in The Villages, Florida, authorities said Tuesday.
Rescue crews were digging adjacent trenches to drain water in an effort to reach the second person, according to information from the scene. Contact with the second individual had been delayed because of the risk of further collapse.
Mutual aid was requested from Sumter County for specialized trench trailer equipment, and State Watch, Florida’s state search-and-rescue coordination system, was notified.
The incident occurred near a roundabout at the intersection of County Road 470 and McNeil Road in The Villages, close to the newly constructed Village of Sandy Hill near Eastport. No additional details on the nature of the work underway or the conditions of those involved were immediately available. Officials had not confirmed whether the second person was still considered a rescue or had been pronounced dead.
Upon arriving at the scene about 9:30 a.m., first responders said they were not authorized to discuss the incident. Operations remained active as of mid-morning Tuesday.
