Two wastewater treatment plant workers died on Tuesday, April 5, after the wall of an equalization tank collapsed in Gatlinburg, Tenn., according to news reports. The cause of the collapse was not known, although officials said it may have been related to heavy rains in the area.
The wall collapsed at 9 a.m. in Gatlinburg, a popular tourist town. Workers with jackhammers and heavy equipment dug through the rubble and in the late afternoon recovered the bodies of John Eslinger, 53, and Don Storey, 44.
The treatment plant had been operated under a contract for the past 15 years by Veolia Water
