Hundreds of FedEx packages found near ravine in west Blount County
BLOUNT COUNTY, Ala. (WBMA) — About 300 to 400 FedEx packages appear to have been thrown off a ravine in west Blount County, according to the Blount County Sheriff's Office.
The sheriff's office said deputies responded to the area where the packages were found Wednesday afternoon.
The packages are reportedly boxes of various sizes.
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The sheriff's office said an area manager from FedEx was en route to the location as of 4:30 p.m.
As of 5:30 p.m. the sheriff's office said FedEx officials arrived on the scene and are bringing another truck to collect the packages.
ABC 33/40 reached out to FedEx for a comment on the situation and the company responded with the following statement:
Thank you for getting in touch with us. We’re looking into this internally and obviously can’t confirm anything until we do. We will follow up if we’re able to find more information
“I mean it was just a river of boxes.”
Natasha Abney said her neighbor found the boxes on his property.
"Some busted open, some not," said Abney.
She believes some of the packages fell as far as 60 feet.
Abney said the ravine sits about a football field away from the road and “it’s no where you can easily get to" she said.
Abney reported the boxes to Blount County authorities Wednesday afternoon.
Since then she said vehicles have been pouring down her road with people looking for their missing packages.
“Everybody that had a package on that truck that was thrown down that hill has been wronged and it’s a really sad situation," said Abney.
In a Facebook post, Blount County Sheriff’s Office said FedEx has sent multiple trucks to the area and they’ll start loading the packages Thursday morning.
FedEx released this statement late Wednesday night:
“The security of our customers’ shipments is a top priority and we are committed to treating our customers’ packages with the utmost care. We are taking steps to recover and transport the affected packages as quickly as possible. In addition to cooperating with law enforcement, we are conducting a review of this situation and will take the appropriate action. Customers with questions about their shipments can track their packages by visiting http://fedex.com.”
This story is developing. Updates will be added as soon as ABC 33/40 learns more.
