Mississippi Gravel Workers Lost In Horrible Quicksand Cave-In [Updating] — Emmitt Shorter And Dee Hemphill

Two Mississippi gravel workers were last seen manning cranes which disappeared into a wave of quicksand. Unfortunately, they’re still missing.

To give a visual of the quicksand depth, the heavy equipment cranes are no longer visible. The gravel workers have been completely submerged in the ever-deepening sludge at Green Brothers Gravel, in Crystal Springs, Mississippi.

[Update: 10:33 p.m. EST, June 6]

The city of Crystal Springs, Mississippi has come together in collective prayers for the two gravel workers trapped with the quicksand submersion at Green Brothers Gravel.

A rumor started that the Mississippi workers had been heard after certain sludge levels were removed, turning the recovery effort into a rescue effort once again. Shakeria Haley shared a post regarding the gravel worker’s situation, as seen below.

However, as concerns the gravel workers’ quicksand situation, it’s possible that this is false information. Andrea Watson mentioned that she called the gravel company to confirm the rumor regarding the construction workers. Unfortunately, the company couldn’t confirm those hopeful statements. She stated as follows.

“This is untrue yall. They are still pumping and have not even start digging yet and this is accurate info from onsite…it’s all made up. I called onsite when I saw the post, it’s a flat out lie.”

Although that particular information may not be true, the community of Crystal Springs, Mississippi holds together in solidarity for the gravel workers.

They’re reminded of the Chilean workers who were trapped underground for over two months but still emerged alive. The 2015 movie The 33 was based on the trapped miners’ story, as notes Internet Movie Database (IMDb). So, likewise, Crystal Springs is keeping the faith for these two construction workers.

[Update: 4:13 p.m. EST]

According to a post from Shakeria Haley’s Facebook update, additional help has arrived. It’s possibly the crane they were expecting from Louisiana.

[Original Story]

Emmitt Shorter

In Copiah County, Mississippi, things have turned upside down for two families, as well as much of the community. Two construction workers were operating heavy equipment on a rainy Friday, then disaster happened.

Dee Hemphill

According to WAPT-16 News, while gravel workers Hemphill and Shorter were handling equipment as usual, a dam at the Mississippi construction yard collapsed while the men were below the fixture. This caused a wave of mud and sludge to rush toward and submerge the gravel workers underneath the quicksand carnage. The report mentions that the mud and sludge depth is at the least 12 feet.

According to the report, there were approximately 40 others attempting rescue. However, due to the danger of being taken under by quicksand, the helpers were unsuccessful. Eventually, the workers and heavy equipment were no longer visible.

The unfavorable conditions haven’t allowed fellow construction workers to come near the quicksand incident. In order to reach the submerged men, other workers are building a roadway that would be safe enough to conduct a rescue operation without losing other people to the situation.

Assistance has been pouring in from all over the state. According to Mississippi’s OSHA department, they’re awaiting a specialized crane to arrive from Louisiana, says Mississippi News Now.

Some Copiah County residents have wondered why the rescue efforts haven’t seemingly entertained helicopter recovery help, given the danger prevailing in land rescue concerns. These residents and commenters state that the quicksand situation is time-sensitive and that they feel time is being used inefficiently.

The source mentions that recovery efforts paused around 11:30 p.m. on June 3. However, they resumed at 6 a.m., on June 4. Mississippi’s Emergency Management spokesperson Ray Coleman says that it’s not an easy situation. And, above all else, safety is the agency’s top concern regarding the recovery effort.

“They’re building that secure road and just as soon as they can get it settled. No time table on this obviously, so as soon as they can get that settled we are gonna try to recover the two male employees and the equipment.”

Just hours ago, Emmitt’s family mentioned that the crane still hadn’t arrived at site. Michael Chad uploaded a video showing a piece of the heavy equipment that Shorter was operating. You can see its position in the quicksand.

According to Shakeria Haley, Shorter had called her earlier Friday morning. He made a dinner request and was supposedly coming over to eat after work. Haley mentions that she’s still holding on to faith.

“Lord I’m just ready to cook him all kind of food! I can hear him telling me [that he’s] starving. [This] has been da hardest 24 hours of my life. I try to talk and laugh to keep [from] breaking down. I’m sitting here waiting on you!…

“I just want u to [know] dat I’m really scared, but I will not give up [or] lose faith. I am still praying as hard as I can to see your face again!”

This story is still developing. The Inquisitr will continue to update it as more information becomes available. In the meantime, feel free to share your thoughts regarding the Mississippi gravel workers and the mudslide incident in the comments section below.

[Image via Facebook]