A deadly workplace accident has shaken Pavlodar, Kazakhstan, where two workers were killed after a trench collapsed during pipeline repair.

The tragedy occurred in an industrial zone in broad daylight as a crew carried out welding work on water supply pipes. Five men were inside a trench about six meters deep when the soil suddenly gave way, burying them under tons of earth, The Caspian Post reports via Kazakh media.

Emergency responders rushed to the scene and managed to pull all five workers from the rubble before handing them over to medics.

Two men, aged 25 and 60, are now in intensive care in critical condition, while a 56-year-old colleague is receiving outpatient treatment. Sadly, two others could not be saved and were pronounced dead at the scene.

Officials confirmed that all victims were recovered from the debris, as investigators work to determine the cause of the collapse.