Driver Dies After Dump Truck Plummets Hundreds of Feet Into Water-Filled Pit at Ind. Rock Quarry

The victim was operating the truck “near the edge of the pit” on Tuesday when the vehicle “slipped over the edge," according to Indiana's Department of Natural Resources

A man was found dead after the dump truck he was driving fell hundreds of feet into a water-filled pit at the Indiana rock quarry where he worked, officials said.

The victim was operating the truck “near the edge of the pit” in rural Crawford County on Tuesday when the vehicle “slipped over the edge,” Indiana’s Department of Natural Resources said in a press release.

The dump truck then fell “several hundred feet” into the water below, with the driver still inside.

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Crews responded to the quarry, owned by Mulzer Crushed Stone Inc., around 2 p.m. local time, the Indiana DNR said. But “steep, unstable terrain near the pit” complicated their efforts.

Mulzer employees helped crews reach the pit “by constructing a temporary path that allowed conservation officers to access the water by boat,” according to the department.

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Divers located the driver’s body upon entering the vehicle, which landed upside down in the water, around noon on Wednesday. The water was between 20 and 30 feet deep where the truck was located.

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The victim’s identity has not been released to the public.

A remote operated vehicle (ROV) submersible sonar unit assisted with the recovery, according to the Indiana DNR. Sonar imaging helped confirm the location of the vehicle.

"As you can imagine a quarry is not the most stable environment to work in," said Indiana Conservation Officer Jim Schreck, according to FOX affiliate WDRB.

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The Crawford County Sheriff's Department, Crawford County Emergency Management Agency, Leavenworth Fire Department, and Indiana State Police all contributed to the search for the missing driver.

Mulzer Crushed Stone Inc. did not immediately respond to PEOPLE's request for comment.

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