Toppled drill rig removed; Body unrecovered

UPDATE: 5/22/2018 5:07 p.m. A toppled drill rig has been removed from a collapsed 32-foot hole near Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport, but crews have yet to recover the body of a missing construction worker.

Authorities say a drill-rig operator is believed to be dead following Monday’s work-site incident and it could take days before his body is recovered.

The worker’s name hasn’t been released.

On Tuesday, a 550,000-pound crane and a 300,000-pound crane safely removed the drill rig that fell on its side during construction for the Sky Train guideway system.

Phoenix Fire Department officials say the rig still has to be stabilized at another location and crews have to be sure that the hole is safe before starting to remove large amounts of dirt to get to the body.

UPDATE: 5/21/2018 5:19 p.m. Cranes, back hoes and other heavy equipment are being set up to move a drilling rig that toppled on its side near Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport, trapping a construction worker.

The rig fell over about 9:30 a.m. Monday during construction for the Sky Train guideway system.

Airport operations aren’t affected by the accident.

Phoenix Fire Department officials have not released the name or condition of the construction worker.

They say lighting equipment also is being set up in case the operation stretches into the night.

Phoenix Fire technical rescue teams are at the scene to monitor the safety of the operation and assist in making the connections necessary to move the drilling rig.

Authorities say the trench where the rig toppled is unstable and that has complicated the situation.

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Authorities say one man is unaccounted for after a crane toppled onto its side near Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport.

The crane fell over about 9:30 a.m. Monday during construction for the Sky Train guideway system.

Airport operations aren’t affected by the accident scene and search.

Phoenix Fire Department officials have not released the name of the unaccounted man.

They say that due to the crane being on its side and the instability of the trench being worked on, it will take firefighters considerable time to determine if this will be a rescue or recovery operation.