Workers sucked into Moscow sewer (VIDEO)

All three workers who went missing in Moscow after a powerful downpour hit the Russian capital on Sunday have been found dead. The men were cleaning a sewer pipe when the water level began to rapidly rise.

A total of 12 crew members were underground at the time of the accident, according to preliminary data. While some managed to make it out to safety on their own, rescuers who arrived at the scene had to extricate five who were trapped in the sewer.

However, the news agency Interfax has suggested a different version of events, alleging that the workers were above ground when the downpour started. According to this report, the men were swept into the open manhole by powerful currents of water.

Moscow’s public prosecutor’s office reported on its Telegram channel that “due to a rise in the water level, three [workers] were not able to make it above ground.”

The authorities also posted two videos from the site, the latest of which showed rescuers arranging what looks like a hoisting mechanism above the manhole.

Later in the day, the prosecutor’s office issued an update, saying that the “body of one of the workers has been located.”

Two and a half hours later, the authorities posted another update, stating that the other two men had also been found dead.

A probe has been launched to determine whether workplace safety regulations had been properly observed, according to the officials.