Three workers were killed at a construction site in Key Largo Monday morning, authorities said.
Crews responded to the scene near mile marker 106 at 175 Long Key Drive around 8:30 a.m.
Monroe County Sheriff’s deputies say workers became trapped when they went underneath the newly paved road to see why it was settling. Multiple people began to rescue the workers from the manhole.
The three workers who were killed were identified as Elway Gray, Louis O'Keefe and Robert Wilson. A volunteer firefighter, identified as Leonardo Moreno, who was part of the rescue effort was airlifted to Jackson Memorial Hospital in Miami. He was expected to be sedated for a few days. Two deputies were also taken to the hospital for observation.
Homes in the area were evacuated as a precaution as HAZMAT teams from Miami-Dade County were called in to help.
Sheriff's office officials said it's likely a mixture of methane and hydrogen sulfite gas that killed the men.
"It's horrific, I wouldn't want to see this no matter where I was at. I feel bad for the workers and families that had to go through it," witness Linda Seymour said.
The incident remains under investigation.
