SIX people are dead in what authorities described as a “dairy accident.”
Law enforcement officials rushed to a dairy operation in Weld County, Colorado, over an hour north of Denver, where they stumbled upon the remains of six individuals in a confined space.
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Officials with the Southeast Weld Fire Protection District arrived at the site and conducted a rescue operation in a “confined space.”
When crews entered the space, they found six people dead
“Crews responded and took appropriate precautions to enter the confined space to perform rescue operations,” the fire protection district wrote.
“Unfortunately, District personnel recovered six deceased individuals from the space.”
Fire officials did not release the age, genders, or names of the victims.
Additional details about what the confined space was, or what property the accident occurred on were not released.
A dairy accident refers to a serious, often fatal, incident that occurs on a dairy farm or involves dairy-related operations, according to the Law Office of Gary C. Nelson.
Dairy Farmers of America, a milk marketing cooperative, confirmed to ABC affiliate KMGH-TV that the incident occurred at one of its member farms in Keenesburg, a town about 40 miles northeast of Denver.
“We are deeply saddened by this incident, and our thoughts and most sincere condolences go out to the friends and families of the deceased,” the cooperative said.
The outlet spoke to a former employee at the location, who said the victims were his friends.
“They started working here about six years ago,” the man, who identified himself to the outlet as Inés, said of the victims.
“They couldn’t tell me what happened, but something happened.
“That’s why I came because they were my friends.”
The Weld County Sheriff’s Office said “nothing criminal in nature was discovered” at the scene, according to USA Today.
The sheriff’s office added that the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) will investigate the incident.
Weld County has a population of about 360,000, according to the county’s fact sheet.
