Waseca County -
Officials say a man suffocated in a grain bin near Janesville on Tuesday.
Rescuers worked frantically to try and save the man, but it was too late. Emergency response personnel estimate the person was inside the bin for at least two hours.
The Waseca County sheriff's office is withholding the victim's name until next of kin have been notified.
The incident happened at 7110 403rd Avenue in Waseca County. The call came in at 12:42 in the afternoon.
Fire crews had ladders in the air as they tried to spot for rescuers who entered the bin from ground level. During the process of trying to find the victim, officials say three holes were cut in the bin in an effort to get the grain out and speed rescue efforts.
Emergency response personnel at the scene estimate the bin was filled with at least 15 feet of grain all the way around.
In addition to cutting holes in the bin, grain was also being augered out. Eventually, the man was found dead inside the bottom of the bin.
Neighbors say they heard news of a rescue taking place and rushed to the scene, and after hearing the news of fatality, Gary Pfeifer says he's at a loss for words.
"It's very shocking," Pfeifer said. "It's something that you don't want to see or ever hear about in your life. "
The victim is a 19-year-old male. The Waseca county sheriff's office says he was a farmworker who did not live at the address where the accident took place.
