Local news
Crews used camera equipment to assess the site of the collapse and found no signs of life.
STERLING, Mass. (AP) — A worker was killed Thursday morning after part of a rock ledge collapsed onto an excavator with the worker inside, burying it under rocks and boulders at a Massachusetts quarry.
Firefighters and other rescue agencies rushed to the scene. Crews used camera equipment to assess the site of the collapse and found no signs of life, according to emergency services in Sterling, about 40 miles (64 kilometers) west of Boston.
The worker was pronounced dead at 8.39am. The identity of the worker was not immediately released.
The US Department of Labor Mine Safety and Health Administration is currently inspecting the site to determine the safety of moving forward with recovery efforts at this time, local fire officials said.
The Sterling Fire Department posted online that it and other agencies were working at the scene off Chocksett Road, where the quarry was located.
“Please avoid the area. There is no safety threat to the public,” the department said.
Onyx Corporation, a demolition and excavation company that operates a quarry site on Chocksett Road, posted online that it has closed all sites from Thursday through the weekend and said it will reopen Monday.
A man reached at a company number linked to the quarry said, “I don’t have anything right now,” when contacted by The Associated Press.
An email seeking information was sent to the company.
In February 2018, Onyx announced its new quarry site on Chocksett Road.
“Whether you’re a small landscaper or heavy civil contractor, we have the locations and expertise to supply you with all your sand or aggregate needs,” the company wrote online at the time.
The company announced in January that it is turning crushed rock into aggregate material used for roads, drainage, retaining walls and other infrastructure.