PICKENS COUNTY, S.C. (WSPA) – Two construction workers were killed and two others were injured during a building collapse in Sunset on Thursday.
Pickens County Emergency Management officials said a house that was under construction collapsed, killing two people and injuring two others.
The house is located on Waterlake Road in The Cliffs at Keowee Vineyards community.
The coroner identified the deceased victims as 22-year-old Domingo Diego Nicolas and 42-year-old Sabino Juarez Lopez of Greenville.
According to the coroner, they were they were putting up new walls of a house at the construction site when the walls fell on top of them.
Both were pronounced dead at the scene.
According to emergency management officials, the structure collapse occurred during a thunderstorm with high winds and lightning.
“Three of the four exterior walls that were standing actually collapsed, so they were all pancaked on top of each other,” said Scott Smith, who is the director of Pickens County Emergency Services.
“It was a very brief storm, but it had pretty severe storms with it for just a minute or two,” said Chief Phil Black with the Vineyards Fire Department.
Crews found several trees down and live power lines down across the roadway while responding.
“I wouldn’t go far as to say it would have made any difference in the outcome because the two guys that were on duty with me today immediately grabbed trauma bags and ran to the scene,” Black said.
According to emergency management officials, construction workers had removed the victims from under the collapsed debris and no victims were trapped upon arrival.
The two who were injured were transported to local hospitals for treatment. The extent of their injuries is not known at this time.
The incident is being investigated by the Pickens County Sheriff’s Office and OSHA.
Autopsies are scheduled for Friday, the coroner said.
