Two trapped children were found dead on Monday morning, after rescuers received calls on Sunday afternoon.
The two children from North Carolina were in an open hole at a construction site when it caved in on them, according to The Examiner.
Chole Jade Arwood, 6, and James Levi Caldwell, 7, were cousins and the 24-foot hole they fell in was meant to be the basement of a new home. The children were reportedly trying to find a pickaxe they had dropped when the dirt caved in.
Authorities were alerted on Sunday afternoon when their father, who saw the events take place, called 911 and 75 search and rescue workers were dispatched.
Tents were set up on Monday morning, when investigators were seen carrying a stretcher covered in tarp into the back of an ambulance according to WBTV.
The rescue workers searched throughout the night for the children, but were unable to locate their remains until 6:45 this morning.
"Because you can't see the children, you can't estimate how far down they are," Dion Burleson, a public information officer with Lincoln Emergency Management told WBTV. "Many in our community have felt the impact of this event. Included in those who have been significantly impacted are the very rescuers who worked so hard to free these two precious children."
One neighbor, Jennifer Hensley, felt the full emotions of the day as she has a boy who is 9 years-of-age.
"I told [Alex] let's just wait and make sure what happened and then we will talk about all that in a serious conversation then," Hensley said.
Investigators are still looking into the case, but are assisting the grieving family.
"The Lincoln County Critical Incident team of chaplains was called in to assist the family of the victims as well as emergency responders working on site," Burleson continued. "Many times our firefighters and rescue personnel are able to remedy the emergencies that they are called to. Incidents such as this are very difficult for responders to deal with due to not being able to make a significant difference in the outcome."
You can view the full news report, pictures of the hole and video here.
