1 dead 2 injured after road collapse in Eutaw Tuesday

A City of Eutaw employee is dead and two others are injured after a road collapsed atop them Tuesday night.

Eutaw Mayor Latasha Johnson said the collapse happened in the Branch Heights community in Greene County around 7 p.m. as the workers were repairing underground drainage pipes.

Eutaw city worker Tony Rice was trapped when the road collapsed. Crews worked throughout the night rescuing workers and repairing the damage.

The city of Eutaw released the following statement this morning following the tragedy:

The City of Eutaw is saddened at the loss of a hard worker and great friend. Tony Rice was a dedicated worker who has served the City of Eutaw for many years.

Our public works employees are first responders who’s daily responsibilities are to maintain public infrastructure like roads and utilities. No one ever wants to have to deal with a situation like this, and no one ever thinks it will happen to them.

Over the next several days there will be more questions than answers as we move through all of the official processes and also deal with heavy hearts and sadness at a loss of someone who’s close to you.

We will forever miss Tony’s smiling face and energy. We would ask for your thoughts and prayers during this time as we are all grieving.

Out of respect for the family, out of concern for the rest of the Team Eutaw family, and due to the nature of the circumstances we are not going to be able to provide additional comments at this time.