HINGHAM, MASS. (WHDH) - A massive cleanup is underway after a piece of construction equipment became submerged in Hingham Harbor on Friday.
The Higham Fire Department and a crew from Clean Harbors worked to clean up and maintain a fuel spill after a Caterpillar excavator got stuck in the mud and started leaking oil.
Photos and video from the scene showed the cab almost totally submerged in the water not far from the shore.
Hingham Fire Chief Steve Murphy said that crews who were contracted to work on the nearby boat ramp were working Thursday night when the excavator began to sink. He said they tried to remove it with a couple of tow trucks but the effort was unsuccessful.
“Last night they tried to remove it with a couple of tow trucks and it just kept on sinking down into the mud and everything,” Murphy said.
Crews from the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection responded to the scene to make sure the fuel from the excavator did not seep further into the ocean. Divers could also be seen in the harbor assessing the situation.
Crews were able to remove the excavator Saturday morning.
No injuries were reported.
This is a developing news story; stay with 7NEWS for updates online and on-air.
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