Eleven employees at a plastics facility in rural Tennessee were swept away by floodwaters from Hurricane Helene, with two of the survivors saying officials told them not to evacuate until it was too late.

The Associated Press reported Wednesday that Tennessee state authorities are investigating Impact Plastics, which operates a plastic molding company in the small town of Erwin in the mountains of eastern Tennessee. Torrential rain from Hurricane Helene led to catastrophic flooding on the nearby Nolichucky River, among other regions across six states where the flooding killed at least 180 people.

Of the 11 plant employees caught up in the floodwaters, five were rescued, and two were confirmed dead, the AP reported. Two workers who survived the flooding told local outlet News 5 WCYB that the company should have let them leave earlier.

Impact Plastics has disputed those claims, saying that the plant manager dismissed employees “when water began to cover the parking lot and the adjacent service road, and the plant lost power,” according to the AP. The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation and the Tennessee Occupational Safety and Health Administration are investigating.