Two workers have died after they were trapped under 1000lb granite slabs at a wholesaler in Michigan.
At around 2:30pm on Monday, police were called to Stone Warehouse in the city of Sterling Heights, a suburb of Detroit in Macomb County, lieutenant Mario Bastianelli told Newsweek. Stone Warehouse sits on 19 Mile Road, between Van Dyke and Merrill Road.
Firefighters and police officers found two employees had been crushed by multiple slabs of concrete, and were pronounced dead on the scene, Bastianelli, of Sterling Heights Police Department, said.
The bodies were taken to Macomb County Medical Examiner's Office for further investigation. Police have launched an investigation into the incident.
Bastianelli said the families of the victims were notified, but the department had not released their names publicly.
An unnamed employee who worked with the victims told WXYZ-TV Detroit the men were aged 28 and 60-years-old. He said he heard a loud boom and saw the rubble at the site. The worker called his colleagues' names, but they didn't reply. The men were using a crane at the time, he said.
Fire Chief Chris Martin described the incident as an "industrial accident" to Click On Detroit.
The men were pinned down by several slabs of granite and became trapped, Martin explained. The slabs, which would have been used to make counter tops, are thought to weigh around 1,000lbs, and measure between 5 to 6ft by 8ft. There were "many slabs involved," according to Martin.
The store management and firefighters worked to ensure others on site were accounted for. No one was missing following the check. The building was evacuated to allow firefighters to attempt to safely remove the slabs.
Martin told Click On Detroit: "We're trying to slowly and methodically remove all that granite so we can get them out without anybody else getting hurt."
Sterling Heights Fire Department took control of the building, and was helped by other fire departments. A technical rescue team worked to stop stock from shifting during the rescue efforts.
Workers from nearby companies offered their assistance following the incident, according to WXYZ-TV Detroit.
Officials have spoken to some of the employees whose colleagues died on Monday. "It's a tragic day for them and our hearts are with them," Martin said.
Martin told WXYZ-TV Detroit the authorities initially believed there was one person involved in the incident after the granite shifted.
This article has been updated with information from Sterling Heights Police Department.
