News

Worker killed in Coppell-area trench collapse while digging under a building

KERA | By Dylan Duke,

Published June 18, 2026 at 5:50 PM CDT

Four men stand in a hole surrounded by a mound of dirt outside a building — Firefighters work to secure a man trapped under a building in Coppell on June 18, 2026.

A 29-year-old man is dead after a trench collapsed at an apartment building just outside Coppell Thursday, Dallas Fire-Rescue officials said.

Workers were digging a tunnel under a building in the 2200 block of Sage Hill in Dallas when the tunnel collapsed and trapped the victim, according to the fire department.

Firefighters had to enter the building, cut through the concrete floor and remove three feet of dirt in order to extricate the victim, who was found deceased, the department said. The Dallas County Medical Examiners office identified the worker as Josias David Pedro Aquino. His death was ruled an accident.

A firefighter holds a piece of heavy machinery — A Dallas firefighter prepares to cut through a cement floor to attempt a rescue of a man trapped under a trench collapse on June 18, 2026. The man was later found dead.

The foundation collapse occurred as concrete was being poured, according to a statement from Coppell city officials.

First responders arrived around 3:20 p.m., and the department's urban search and rescue team was called in to remove him.

Firefighters could be seen digging around the building to secure his release Thursday evening.

The medical examiner and agents with the U.S. Labor Department’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration — or OSHA — were at the scene.

It’s not clear what caused the collapse. The building remains intact, the department said.

A man in a helmet and blue shirt digs a hole with a shovel — A first responder digs around a building in Coppell where a man was trapped following a trench collapse on June 18, 2026.

The collapse occurred near the border of Coppell and Dallas and is under the jurisdiction of the City of Dallas, Coppell officials said. Dallas Fire-Rescue is the lead agency managing the incident.

Zyreon McDade had lived in the building across the street for a year, and said he doesn’t know of anyone living in the apartment units where the incident happened.

The first time he saw workers at the location was Thursday before the accident occurred.

“Every time I come out here it’s usually taped off over here and a stack of dirt sitting around,” McDade said.

Dozens of fire fighters worked past 7:30 p.m., digging out a trench around the suspected tunnel where the worker was trapped.

“The workers definitely been busting their butts, sweating hard, getting dirty,” McDade said. “I definitely appreciate the hard work that they put in.”

This is a developing story and will be updated.