Body of 1 Mississippi Miner Buried in Landslide Recovered

Eric Chaney
Published: June 9,2016
The of one of the two Mississippi miners buried in a landslide earlier this week has been recovered, officials said.
Ray Coleman, a spokesman for the Mississippi Emergency Management Agency, says rescuers found the body early Thursday inside a piece of equipment. Coleman said in a news release that officials are not releasing the name of the employee at this time. He said rescue crews are continuing their efforts to find the second employee at the site.
The two men were operating an excavator and dump truck at the Harmony Mine and Mill in Crystal Springs when a slide of sand and slurry engulfed them around 1 p.m. Friday, WLBT reports.

Rescue workers gather at the mine where the two men are trapped.
(Mississippi Emergency Management Agency)

Officials have not released the names of the men involved in the incident, the Clarion-Ledger reports. However, relatives at the scene identified one of the men as Emmitt Shorter, 24.
His uncle Oscar Johnson told the paper, "I want to hope he's alive, but I don't think so."
The second man has been identified by family as James "Dee" Hemphill, WLBT reports.
Efforts to rescue Shorter and Hemphill on Friday had to be halted due to additional slides from the rain-soaked material, WJTV reports. A personal weather station in the area recorded more than 1.25 inches of rain on Friday.
On Saturday, workers constructed a road to allow a crane to reach the recovery site. EMA and MEMA officials believe the men are buried 10 to 15 feet deep.
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“The biggest challenge is the fact that this is something that has never seen happen before and that is challenging because no one knows how to attack to accomplish the goal,” Emergency Management Director Randle Drane, told WLBT.
Sunday Mississippi Emergency Management Agency Public Information Officer Ray Coleman told WLBT, "...The area is so unstable that it is very difficult to dig anything out safely."
As of Monday morning, both men were still buried.
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"Additional equipment is coming in and we're going to continue going," Coleman told NBC News late Sunday. "There's no stopping."
Rosie Wilson and Crystal Springs Mayor Sally Garland handed out water and prayed with families at the mine site, the Clarion-Ledger reports.
"I know they're going to be out here all night until their loved ones are out of here," Wilson said. "I think we all have hope out here. There's no reason not to believe.”
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