NEW MELLE, Mo. — Fire officials said a man was critically injured when he was trapped upside down in a pipe for about 26 hours near St. Louis before being rescued.

New Melle Fire Protection District chief Rick Massey told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch that 47-year-old Leo Lyke was rescued Thursday from the 20-inch-wide pipe at a home construction site near New Melle.

A hospital spokeswoman said Lyke was listed as being in critical condition as of Friday, but his medical status was not immediately clear Saturday.

Massey said Lyke was roughly four feet into the pipe to install an aerator as part of installing a septic tank.

Massey said Lyke was rescued after the owners of the yet-to-be-built home stopped by and heard him yelling.

Information from: St. Louis Post-Dispatch, http://www.stltoday.com