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Rescuers find the body of a worker who was driven away from an Impact Plastics factory by Hurricane Helene in Tennessee
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Rescuers find the body of a worker who was driven away from an Impact Plastics factory by Hurricane Helene in Tennessee

ERWIN, Tenn. — Rescue workers in Tennessee said Friday they have found the body of the last person still missing after major flooding caused by Hurricane Helene. crashed into plastic factory There.

Rosa Andrade, 29, was one of six employees who died because they were unable to escape rising waters around Impact Plastics in Erwin, a small East Tennessee town. Surviving workers said they were not allowed to leave until the facility’s parking lot was flooded and the power was cut. Eleven people were swept away and only five were rescued.

Andrew Harris, captain of Unicoi County Search and Rescue, said emergency workers found Andrade’s body Wednesday, more than a month after the Sept. 27 flood. Nolichucky River.

The river, which normally flows at a depth of 61 centimeters, rose to 30 feet (9.1 meters) that day, flowing more than 1.4 million gallons (5.3 million liters) of water every second; this was twice the size of Niagara Falls.

Relatives of some of those killed A lawsuit was filed against Impact Plastics and owner Gerald O’Connor. These include the family of Johnny Peterson, who managed to climb into the bed of a semitrailer trying to flee the area and sent a text message to his family before being dragged away.

Tennessee Bureau of Investigation We are investigating allegations regarding Impact Plastics on the instructions of the local prosecutor. The state’s workplace safety office has also launched its own investigation into the circumstances behind the deaths.

O’Connor said no employees were forced to continue working and they were evacuated at least 45 minutes before the sheer force of the flood hit the industrial area.

The dead workers were among more than 200 people killed by Helene. Remote towns in the Appalachians. It was the deadliest hurricane to hit the US mainland since Katrina in 2005. The storm also left millions of people homeless. power disabled cellular service and destroyed drinking water systems.

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