Scottish cemetery worker 'trapped in grave' on Halloween

A graveyard worker in Scotland was rescued by firefighters after he found himself trapped in a grave when it collapsed around him on Halloween.

Emergency services and a fire engine from Inverurie was sent to the scene at Kintore Cemetery, west of Aberdeen, at around 2pm GMT on Monday (31 October).

It is believed that the walls of a grave collapsed, trapping the worker's legs and rendering him unable to move. The man, believed to be in his 20s, was freed by using buckets to remove the soil.

Inverurie Watch Manager Graeme Duncan said: "The ground appeared to be very sandy and that's likely to have caused the sides to cave in.

"Others working at the graveyard tried to help him initially, before they called the fire service for assistance."

The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service spokeswoman said: "He was stuck in the pit. They managed to get him out. All they used was shovels to get him out."

Philip McKay, head of roads, landscape services and waste management told the BBC: "One of our team was taken to hospital following an incident where the side of a lair collapsed while he was working at Kintore Cemetery, trapping him by the legs.

"At this time our colleague does not appear to have suffered serious injuries, but has been taken to hospital for further checks.

"Police Scotland and Scottish Fire and Rescue attended the incident, and we would like to thank them for their help. Aberdeenshire Council have commenced an investigation into circumstances that led to the incident and I am sure all the team will add their best wishes for our colleague's speedy recovery."

In 2014, dozens of coffin-shaped pits appeared across a cemetery in Gravesend after months of rain made the earth give way over the graveyard.

According to MailOnline, visitors to the cemetery had been warned: "Please be careful when walking on the grass as sometimes the soil has compacted but the grass remains like a carpet over the hole."