Body of missing miner recovered, search continues for other team member

AVERY ISLAND, LA – AUGUST 21: An aerial view of Avery Island, home of the Tabasco hot sauce factory, on August 21, 2019 in Avery Island, Louisiana. Avery Island, a dome of salt surrounded by marshes near the southern Louisiana coast, is where the iconic Tabasco sauce has been made for the past 150 years. Like much of southern Louisiana, coastal marshland around Avery Island is disappearing at a rapid pace and the island is losing about 30 feet of surrounding protective marshland per year. As land gradually retreats from the area, the island becomes more susceptible to flooding from severe storms. (Photo by Drew Angerer/Getty Images)

Posted: Dec 15, 2020 / 03:32 PM AST

Updated: Dec 15, 2020 / 03:32 PM AST

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AVERY ISLAND, La – One salt miner is dead following a roof collapse at a mine on Avery Island Monday morning.

The salt mine is operated by Cargill Protein and Animal Health. Daniel Sullivan, media relations director for Cargill said, “I can confirm that this morning the rescue team recovered one of the missing miners who was fatally injured in the accident.”

Right now, crews are working to locate another miner that they have not had contact with since the accident.

Sullivan said, “Out of respect for the families, we will not be sharing further details about the employees at this time. Our sympathy is with the family who is mourning the loss of a loved one and we are offering support to them.”

Cargill is working with the Mine Safety and Health Administration in the ongoing rescue efforts.

Sullivan said, “We care about our teammates and have professional grief counselors on site at our facility who will be available to our team as needed. The safety and well-being of our colleagues is our top priority. We are grieving with the community as we face this loss together.”