Mississippi pit collapse traps two miners

Recovery efforts continue at a Mississippi gravel pit, where two miners were trapped following a pit collapse Friday.

According to NBC News, the incident occurred at Green Brothers Gravel Co. Inc.’s Harmony Mine & Mill in Crystal Springs, Miss. Officials believe the two men, who were working at the bottom of the pit, are trapped underneath about 10 to 15 ft. of mud, sand and gravel. Officials also acknowledged that the chances of rescuing the two men after more than three days of recovery efforts are slim.

The Clarion-Ledger reports that one of the trapped workers was operating an excavator while the other was operating a truck when the landslide occurred.

The incident occurred around noon Friday, The Clarion-Ledge adds. Rescue efforts began around 2 p.m. that day, but rains forced a halt to those attempts later Friday.

An industrial crane was brought in Saturday but was unable to recover the two miners, MS News Now reports. On Monday, recovery crews started pumping water out of the pit where the miners were trapped.

“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,” says Randle Drane, an emergency management director.

The Mining Safety & Health Administration is overseeing the recovery efforts.