A 28-year-old man on a construction site in Blue Earth County died Monday when the trench he was working in collapsed and buried him underground.

The man's name has not been released. The Blue Earth County Sheriff's Office said he is from out of state.

Authorities were called to the accident at 2:45 p.m. Monday in Lincoln Township, just southwest of County Road 30 and 171st Street. The Sheriff's office said the area was "extremely unstable, hampering rescue efforts" and more heavy equipment had to brought in to help.

The victim's body was recovered about 8:15 p.m., and taken to the Ramsey County medical examiner's office in St. Paul.

Vortex Drain and Tile, based in Grand Forks, N.D., was working on the construction project, which involved connecting two drainage ditches via a 48-inch buried drain pipe.

Pat Pheifer