Two construction workers were partially buried by a collapsed underground wall Tuesday at the American Mat & Specialty, 1600 Sixth St. SW.

According to Austin Fire Chief James McCoy, the two men were working in a trench about eight feet deep to kill a sewer line at the mat company when part of a wall caved in and partially buried the two workers a little after 11:30 a.m. One of the men was lifted out of the trench within minutes, and walked under his own power after he was out. The second man was trapped in the trench for about 25 to 35 minutes. Both of his legs were buried in the dirt, with one leg at least a foot and a half under the soil. The man was able to escape the trench with firefighter assistance, and was walking on his own after he was out. Firefighters pulled buckets of dirt out with ropes, while another was in the trench digging the victim out.

The two workers were taken to Mayo Clinic Health System in Austin with unknown injuries. The city of Austin bought the American Mat & Specialty property as part of its flood mitigation efforts. The building is set to be demolished soon.