A worker digging at a Harlem construction site was nearly killed yesterday when the ground suddenly collapsed and he was buried up to his neck in dirt and rubble, witnesses and fire officials said.

The worker, employed by Accura Restoration, was inside an 8-foot trench waterproofing a building at 1753 Park Ave. when the ground gave way at around 11 a.m.

Two good Samaritans, Francisco Pichardo and Ricardo Santos, heard the man’s anguished screams and raced to the scene.

“I couldn’t see him. I only heard him screaming,” said Pichardo, who jumped into the treacherous hole with Santos and three workers.

“The five of us lifted the big rock off him, which was 3 feet by 4 feet. He was crying from all the pressure on him,” Pichardo said.

“He could breathe, but he was complaining about the pressure on his legs and chest.”

The do-gooders were forced to stop when the ground continued crumbling.

FDNY rescue workers shored up the area using a vacuum truck to suck out the dirt, and carefully removed the remaining rubble by hand.

“We had a lot of debris to move,” said Fire Chief Daniel Donohue. “It was difficult because he was wedged up against the wall.”

First-responders used a makeshift pulley system to hoist the victim to safety.

The city’s Buildings Department immediately issued a stop-work order to the site after they found that Accura had no permits.

Officials from the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration were also investigating.

The worker, whose name was not available yesterday, was rushed to Harlem Hospital in serious but stable condition.