DUBUQUE, Iowa (AP) — A worker died Friday when he became buried after a trench collapsed at an Iowa construction site.

The accident was reported just before 8:30 a.m. at an apartment building construction site in Dubuque. Firefighters arrived to find the victim's co-workers trying to dig through as much as 8 feet (2.4 meters) of soil, the fire department said in a news release. Rescuers recovered the worker's body at 9:46 a.m.

The cause of the accident is under investigation.