EDCOUCH, Texas (AP) -- A massive grain elevator collapsed Friday afternoon, injuring four workers.
Three workers were hospitalized, and one had to be airlifted to Valley Baptist Medical Center, Edcouch police Sgt. Jesus Cuellar said. A fourth did not require medical attention.
Edcouch police investigators said the grain was being transported from one elevator to another when the second elevator collapsed into a mound of metal sheeting and grain sorghum. The elevator was owned by Southwest Grain Co.
One of the men fell 50 feet and three others were dangling from a metal pipe before being rescued, according to KGBT-TV in Harlingen.
``What saved them was the grain,'' Cuellar said. ``They basically fell on top of the grain.''
Cuellar said all the workers were able to walk from the scene. He said the decision to airlift one of the workers was because he had been hit on the head.
The area was blocked off after the collapse for fear of a leak of a chemical used to keep rodents and insects away from the grain.
Investigators were trying to determine the cause of the collapse.
``Apparently these are old elevators,'' Cuellar said. ``Apparently it was just wear and tear.''
Edcouch is a town of about 3,600, located 40 miles northwest of Brownsville.
