Worker rescued after being buried under three metres of earth on Costa del Sol building site

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The complex rescue by members of Malaga's provincial fire brigade took more than four hours

Eugenio Cabezas

Vélez-Málaga

Wednesday, 31 December 2025, 10:08

A building site worker was rescued on Tuesday 30 December after being trapped under three metres of earth and rubble when a structure collapsed in Calle Murillo in the El Capitán area of Almayate (Vélez-Málaga) on the eastern Costa del Sol, according to sources from the Malaga provincial fire brigade consortium (CPB).

The call to the emergency services was made by the victim's colleagues. Fire crews from Vélez-Málaga and Nerja were called to the scene and began a complex and lengthy rescue operation.

On their arrival, emergency services found that the man was completely buried under the earth and rubble, with only one hand sticking out, and that his voice was barely audible, which confirmed that he was still alive. The rescue was carried out manually and very meticulously, with the occasional support of a backhoe to relieve the pressure of the ground, until the worker was freed alive.

Nuestras dotaciones #VélezMálaga y #Nerja rescatan con éxito a un varón atrapado bajo 3m de tierra y escombros tras colapsar una estructura en C/Murillo de Vélez
Presentaba heridas y contusiones y lo porteamos hasta la ambulancia donde es evacuado#CPBMálaga@diputacionMLGpic.twitter.com/rdjufUAGz2

— CPB Málaga (@cpbmalaga) December 30, 2025

Once freed, the man had sustained a number of injuries and bruises, was treated by paramedics before being taken to hospital. No further details of his state of health have been released.

The incident comes after a number of other workplace accidents in the Axarquía which once again puts the spotlight on safety on construction sites and the need to take extreme preventive measures in works with risk of collapse or earthworks. The authorities responsible for labour inspection will now have to clarify the exact circumstances of the collapse.