2 Killed as Well Walls Collapse

Two unidentified men were killed Saturday after the walls of the well they were cleaning collapsed onto them, burying them 18 feet deep under dirt and brick, a sheriff’s deputy said.

The two employees of Curtis Drilling Co. apparently had finished cleaning the well, at the Highland Valley Ranch in Ramona, and had removed the protective sleeve from the inside the well, the spokesman said. The two went back into the well to retrieve some tools when the walls caved in, the spokesman said.

The San Diego County coroner estimated that it would take two days to dig the bodies out because rescue crews were waiting for special equipment.