Emergency services are searching for three men who were underground when rain showers came through

Three workers are missing in Moscow after a powerful downpour hit the Russian capital on Sunday. The men were cleaning a sewer pipe when the water level began to rise rapidly.

According to preliminary data, a total of 12 workers were underground at the time. While some of them managed to make it out to safety on their own, rescuers who arrived at the scene had to extricate five workers 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, with the latest one showing rescuers arranging what looks like a hoisting mechanism above the manhole.

A police car along with several emergency services cars are seen blocking traffic in the immediate vicinity of the accident scene.

Several media outlets have reported that the three unaccounted-for workers could have been swept toward the Moskva River. According to the website Life, an emergency services boat is already patrolling the area of the river where the sewer pipe in question leads.

Source: RT