Officials identify 2 killed in western Idaho trench collapse

Authorities have identified two men who died when a trench they were working in collapsed early Wednesday.

The Payette County Sheriff’s Office says 59-year-old Javier Ortega Jr. of New Plymouth, Idaho and 51-year-old Arcenio Carrillo of Vale, Oregon both died after they were trapped in the collapse in rural Payette County.

The men were working for a private company and installing irrigation pipes. Payette Sheriff’s Lt. Andy Creech says investigators have not yet been able to determine what private company the men were working for, but the Occupational Health and Safety Administration is investigating.

Creech said steel slabs normally used to hold up the walls of trenches were not in use when the 6- to 7-foot trench collapsed.

The region is under a flood watch, but authorities say the collapse does not appear to be related to flooding.