Sunday 5 June 2016

Trapped workers feared dead after landslide at Mississippi gravel quarry.

Two workers at a quarry in Copiah County, Mississippi are feared dead after they were buried by a landslide on Friday 3 June 2016. The men were driving separate vehicles at the Green Brother Gravel Co. quarry in Crystal Springs when part of a wall collapsed onto them, burying them under 3-4 m of gravel and clay. A rescue operation involving the Mississippi Emergency Management Agency and Mining Safety and Health Administration, as well as several fire departments, have been working to free the men, who could potentially have received some protection from the vehicles they were in, but as time passes hopes of recovering the men alive are fading.

The scene of the 3 June 2016 Mississippi gravel pit landslide. WJTV12.

The landslide came after a period of heavy rain which has caused flooding in parts of Texas and Louisiana and problems as far east as Florida. Landslides are a common problem after severe weather events, as excess pore water pressure can overcome cohesion in soil and sediments, allowing them to flow like liquids. Approximately 90% of all landslides are caused by heavy rainfall.

See also...

http://sciencythoughts.blogspot.co.uk/2015/12/stroms-and-floods-kill-at-least-43.htmlStorms and floods kill at least 43 people in the US over Christmas period.                      At least 43 people have died across the southern and midwest United States over the past week as the country has been hit by a series of severe floods and storm events. Multiple deaths have been recorded...
http://sciencythoughts.blogspot.co.uk/2015/11/giant-sinhole-swallows-at-least.htmlGiant sinhole swallows at least fourteen cars in Meridian, Mississippi.                                 At least fourteen cars are believed to have been swallowed by a giant sinkhole that opened up in a car park in the city of Meridian in Lauderdale County, Mississippi, at about 7.15 pm on Saturday 7...
http://sciencythoughts.blogspot.co.uk/2014/04/at-least-32-dead-as-tornados-hit.htmlAt least 32 dead as tornados hit Arkansas, Alabama, Iowa, Kansas, Mississippi and Oklahoma.                                                 Thirty two people are known to have died in the southern and...
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