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NATCHEZ — A professional diver from D and D Divers of Lafayette, Louisiana, arrived in Natchez and began the effort to recover the body of a barge worker who fell into the Mississippi River on Tuesday morning.

The diver, David Perrin, arrived at the scene at approximately 10 a.m. and entered the water at approximately 11 a.m. Friday.

Donny Mitchell, 50, was making his way from a barge onto a walkway at Buzzi Unicem on Tuesday at approximately 4:30 a.m. when he fell into the water. Witness tried to get a life preserver ring to him and then tried to grab Mitchell with a drag hook but were unsuccessful at saving him.

Personnel with Adams County Search and Rescue, Adams County Sheriff’s Office, Concordia Parish Sheriff’s Office, Mississippi Wildlife and Fisheries, Adams County Emergency Management, and Natchez Fire Department have worked diligently since to try to locate Mitchell’s body.

Buzzi Unicem USA has hired the dive company to aid in the effort to find Mitchell. Adams County Sheriff Travis Patten said Buzzi officials want to leave no stone unturned in the effort to find Mitchell, a 20-year employee.

This story will be updated when more information is available.