A huge rumbling “like a small earthquake” jolted Kevin Van Valkenburg Friday as he worked in the upstairs office in his Catonsville home.

Members of a construction crew had been digging a trench around the side of his neighbor’s house on Academy Road. He heard them screaming and scrambling to dig at the rocks that had collapsed.

“It was clear that something bad had happened,” said Van Valkenburg, who called 911 for the foreman.

Baltimore County Fire Department officials said two construction workers died after a retaining wall collapsed next to the trench. The victims were not immediately identified.

The cause of the collapse was under investigation, officials said.

Emergency crews responded to reports of the trench collapse at the 500 block of Academy Road shortly before noon.

Construction workers stood atop the pile of dirt as they waited for rescue workers to arrive.

One worker began to cry loudly as first responders put a red tarp by the hole.

Allison Shultz, who lives on nearby Stratford Road, told The Banner she started hearing the sirens around 11:30 a.m.

She said workers dug a hole near the home about a week ago.

The incident recalls the 2018 death of a 19-year-old construction worker in Baltimore, whose body was recovered after a eight-hour rescue effort.

Van Valkenburg said the neighbors are really nice people who had some sort of crack or issue they are trying to take care of in their home.

“It seems like it’s going to take a long time to sort out,” he said.

This story may be updated.