DENNIS ODA / DODA@STARBULLETIN.COM The body of a worker who fell into a cesspool at 55-116 Naupaka St. in Laie was recovered after more than nine hours. The man's wife, center, family and friends reacted to the tragedy after arriving at the scene.

Cesspool collapse drops worker into sludge

Man's body recovered after 9-hour effort

A subcontractor fell into a cesspool in Laie and disappeared without a word yesterday, leading to a long, painstaking search for his body.

"He just threw his arms in the air, looked surprised and fell," said witness Cathleen Dagher.

After more than nine hours, fire crews recovered the body of Pooi Pauu, 33, who had been standing on top of the cement cesspool cap when it collapsed, toppling in after him.

When Pauu's friend and co-worker Neil Haunga yelled down the hole, he received no response.

"There was no movement, no nothing," he said.

A fire spokesman said the hole is 30 feet deep, with about 10 feet of sludge and rocks at the bottom. Workers were preparing to fill in the pit and connect the property to the sewer system.

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DENNIS ODA / DODA@STARBULLETIN.COM Firefighters removed the hose used to pump out the sludge from a cesspool that a man fell into yesterday at 55-116 Naupaka St. in Laie. A crane was then brought in to excavate the rocks. The body of the man, identified by friends as Pooi Pauu, was recovered after nine hours.

A 33-year-old father of three fell to his death into a cesspool that collapsed under his feet yesterday morning on Laie Point.

After a grim, nine-hour recovery effort, the man's body was found and removed from the cesspool at 6:54 p.m. The victim, identified by friends as Pooi Pauu, was pronounced dead at the scene.

At about 9:45 a.m., Pauu was standing near the cesspool's cap when the ground he was on collapsed. The cement cap fell in after Pauu. He fell about 30 feet into more than 10 feet of sludge, rocks and rubble.

Pauu was working as a subcontractor at a house on Naupaka Street, a neighborhood that has been connected to cesspools for several decades and which is undergoing a switch to connect to the sewer system.

"He just threw his arms in the air, looked surprised and fell," said Cathleen Dagher, the consulting archaeologist for the project.

Although the pit was already decommissioned, Dagher said there was about 10 feet of sludge remaining.

When Pauu's friend and co-worker Neil Haunga yelled down the hole, he received no response.

"There was no movement, no nothing," Haunga said.

Rescuers arrived and first drained the hole, which is about 12 feet wide.

"There was no sign of life when we got here," said fire spokesman Capt. Terry Seelig. A crane was brought in to excavate the rocks so rescuers could enter the hole, he said.

"Our priorities are to ensure there are no additional injuries by moving cautiously and appropriately when we put people in the hole," Seelig said.

Pauu's wife arrived at the scene at about 2 p.m., looking distraught and being comforted by friends and family. Pauu has three daughters, friends said.

Haunga said he tried to go home to rest, but he could not stay away, knowing Pauu was still missing. Dagher had a similar experience when she went to Foodland for a break.

"I felt so uncomfortable, so I turned around and came back," she said. "I want to see him come up. I just want to know that they found him."

Next-door neighbor Josephine Bird, who has lived in the neighborhood for 37 years, said a cesspool collapsed at another home in the area, but nobody was injured.

The neighborhood has been hooked up to cesspools for decades, said Bird, 81, Laie Point Community Association president.

"We've never had a problem with the cesspools before," she said. "Many people here actually preferred not to go with the sewer system."