2 Die Trying to Unclog Rain-Swollen Ditch
Torrential rain fell across parts of Tennessee, swamping roads and killing two people who were swept into a flooded drainage ditch in Cookeville.
Tommy Stewart, 20, became trapped as he and another city worker tried to unclog the flooded ditch, fire department officials said. Shane Cooper, 26, stopped to help but was swept under.
Fire officials said emergency workers managed to retrieve the second worker, but Stewart and Cooper couldn’t be saved.
An estimated 4 inches of rain fell in the area around Cookeville, 70 miles east of Nashville.
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