ATASCOSA COUNTY, Texas – Authorities have identified a man killed in a mudslide at a sandpit near Poteet on Thursday.
An Atascosa County Sheriff’s Office chief deputy confirmed to KSAT on Friday that Alan Herrarte was the man killed at Signal Peak Silica of Atascosa. Herrarte was 25, his relatives told the sheriff’s office.
Deputies responded to a call from the sand plant after 9:30 a.m. at 16760 State Highway 16 in north Atascosa County.
Herrarte was operating heavy equipment at the bottom of a deep sandpit when he was hit by a mudslide, officials said.
The mudslide turned the equipment over and filled the cab with sand and mud, ACSO said.
The accident immobilized numerous pieces of heavy equipment, making it difficult for first responders to reach the scene, the sheriff’s office said.
Herrarte was pronounced dead at the scene.
Atascosa County sheriff’s deputies and emergency services worked alongside the Poteet Fire Department to recover Herrarte, according to ACSO.
At this time, it’s unclear what caused the mudslide.
Signal Peak Silica of Atascosa released the following statement to KSAT on Thursday afternoon:
“We can confirm there was an incident that included a fatality this morning, May 1, at our sand plant in Poteet, Texas,” the statement read, in part. “We are working with county emergency response officials to manage the situation. Our thoughts and prayers are with the family of the deceased, who was an employee of a third-party contractor.”
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