According to officials, a tragic construction accident occurred at the power plant located in John F. Kennedy International Airport resulting in the deaths of two workers. The incident occurred when the workers fell into a 30-foot trench and became trapped shortly before 11:10 a.m. at Building 49 within the airport premises, as stated by the FDNY and other sources.
Firefighters and Port Authority officials quickly arrived at the scene and rescued the trapped victims from the rubble. Unfortunately, the workers were pronounced dead at the scene, according to a spokesperson for the fire department.
At this time, it is unclear what the workers were doing at the time of the fall, and their identities have not been disclosed as of Monday.
The JFK power plant is a gas-fired cogeneration facility that is located at the airport in Jamaica, Queens. Calpine, the plant's owner, reported that the energy generated by the power plant is sold to the Port Authority, while incremental electrical power is sold to the New York System Operator. Calpine also owns and operates four other power plants on Long Island.
A spokeswoman for the Port Authority confirmed the fatal incident and stated that "a stop order for all construction at JFK has been issued." She added that "the Port Authority is conducting a thorough investigation and will be cooperating with all other investigative agencies."