Two Delta Junction residents killed when a septic trench caved in on them

Two Delta Junction residents were killed Thursday when the trench they were working in — roughly 13 feet deep — collapsed on them as they installed a septic system.

Alaska State Troopers identified them as Paul Hebert, 68, and Jacquelyn Wilder, 71, both of Delta Junction. A report of two people buried came in around 1:26 p.m. Wednesday. By the time help arrived, both had been declared dead at the scene. Troopers have not said what caused the walls to give way.

The depth is what makes the danger. Federal workplace-safety rules require shoring, a trench box, or other protective systems in any excavation deeper than 5 feet, unless it's cut entirely through stable rock — a wall of loose soil that height can come down in an instant and bury a person before they can climb out. Troopers didn't say whether any such protections were in place at the site.

The bodies are being sent to the State Medical Examiner's Office. Next of kin have been notified.