Rescue crews pull body from Mississippi after car slides down levee in East Carondelet
A man is dead after his car slid down a levee into the Mississippi River on Wednesday near East Carondelet, rescue crews said.
St. Clair County Emergency Management Agency Director Herb Simmons said Thursday the man was driving near the levee around 5:30 p.m. when his car slid off the road and into the river.
When rescue crews arrived, they were able to pull his body from the river near South 6th and State streets, Simmons said. The car had also been pulled from the water.
Simmons said it appeared that the vehicle became trapped after sliding down the side of the levee and, due to the river’s elevated state, the man couldn’t get out of the embankment.
He said it appeared the man drowned, but said the St. Clair County Coroner had not confirmed a cause of death. The county has yet to release the identification of the man.
Throughout this year’s springtime flooding, Simmons and St. Clair Emergency Management Agency officials urged people to stay off the levees. He said, in general, people should avoid being on the levee in vehicles.
“There’s no need for anyone to be over there,” he said. “We try to discourage people from being on them whatsoever.”
The East Carondelet Police Department is investigating the incident.
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