Kansas City, Kan. ? A man has died in a trench collapse while repairing a sewer line in his Kansas City back yard.

Assistance Fire Chief Craig Duke says 39-year-old Joseph Laster was buried with dirt Friday afternoon in an 8- to 10- foot deep ditch.

People at the scene rushed to help, using shovels, buckets and their own hands to dig for Laster.

Firefighters also were called. They worked to free Laster for about 50 minutes before announcing that the operation had shifted from rescue to recovery.