Advertisement Employer of men killed in Boston trench faced prior violations Workers were with Atlantic Drain Service Co. Share Shares Copy Link Copy

A water main gave way in Boston's South End neighborhood on Friday afternoon, flooding a deep trench and killing two workers.Watch the reportHours later, the Boston Fire Department recovered the two bodies after painstakingly working into the night. In Twitter messages, the department said its technical rescue crew had to work in a trench box. The firefighters were on their knees gently removing dirt with their hands to reach the dead workers."Very difficult operation on Dartmouth St. 1st responders trying to respect the deceased while continuing the recovery," read one tweet. After the second body was recovered shortly after 8 p.m., the department tweeted the recovery operation was over. It urged people to "remember their families/friends."They were identified by family members as Robert Higgins, 47, and Kelvin Mattocks, 53."Both were great guys, family men," said one coworker, who asked to remain anonymous.Boston Police Commissioner William B. Evans told The Boston Globe that it appears "somehow a pipe must have broke and unfortunately they weren't able to get themselves out of a hole." He said it appeared other workers were able to escape from the trench.When fire crews arrived on the scene, fire department spokesman Steve MacDonald said they found "workers trapped in a trench in the ground that was filling rapidly with water."The trench was estimated to be about 12- to 15-feet deep.Boston police, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration and the Suffolk County District Attorney's Office will be investigating the cause of the deadly incident, MacDonald said. The workers were employed by a private contractor.Officials said Dartmouth Street from Warren to Tremont streets is expected to be closed for several days while an investigation into the incident gets underway.5 Investigates uncovered previous safety issues with Atlantic Drain Services in Roslindale. The company was cited for eight different violations earlier this year, and paid $20,000 in fines to OSHA.In March, a worker was hurt when the company's 80,000 pound sewer-cleaning trucks fell on him while he was changing a tire.