1 killed after retaining wall collapses in Honolulu suburb

HONOLULU (AP) — One man died and two others were seriously injured when a retaining wall partially collapsed behind a suburban Honolulu home, authorities said Friday.

Bystanders tried to remove large rocks with a mini excavator to free several people trapped underneath the debris. But firefighters who arrived at the scene around noon Friday told them to stop because the remainder of the 15-foot (4.5-meter) retaining wall was unstable, the Honolulu Fire Department said.

Firefighters began manually removing the rocks and rescued two men about 15 minutes after they arrived at the home in Kailua.

It took them longer to get to the third man, who was buried under more debris. Paramedics determined he didn’t have a pulse and wasn’t breathing at 12:33 p.m. He was officially pronounced dead at the scene an hour later.

Honolulu Emergency Medical Services said paramedics took two patients to hospitals in serious condition. One person was treated at the scene but declined transportation to a hospital.