2 workers rescued after beam fell on them at UNC-Chapel Hill construction site

The incident occurred shortly after 10 a.m. at the site on South Columbia Street near Medical Drive and the university's Mitchell Hall.

The workers were rushed for medical treatment to UNC Health Care but their conditions were not immediately disclosed. The victims' identities were also pending.

UNC-Chapel Hill authorities said the workers were rescued from the trench by firefighters, who shoveled dirt off the victims when they arrived at the scene.

A witness told WRAL News that he saw rescue workers pulling two men from the trench.

The firefighters on the scene said they had just finished training and getting new equipment for this type of situation.

"We're proud of them, we're proud of our department," one responder said. "We hate that something like that happened but we feel like we responded in an appropriate amount of time and rendered aid to the best of our ability."

University officials said the workers were repairing a utility vault when the beam fell.

The accident prompted police to restrict traffic on Columbia Street while the rescue operation was underway, prompting some traffic backups in the area. As of 12 p.m., however, all lanes of the road had reopened.

The Chapel Hill Fire Department chief said his agency had just completed a training exercise similar to what occurred Tuesday.