ASHBURN, Va. (WUSA9) -- A teenage worker has been found dead more than 24 hours after an 80-foot silo full of mineral filler partially collapsed at a Loudoun County quarry. His family has been notified but his name is not being released at this time.
The silo full of mineral filler partially collapsed Monday morning. Early Tuesday morning, crews had to suspend their search at Luck Stone Leesburg Quarry in Ashburn due to a severe thunderstorm moving into the area. Lightning, hail and high winds came with the storm, making it dangerous for rescuers.
Once the storm passed the area, crews began their search again, with the family of the 18-year-old worker looking on. His family members had not left the scene since Monday.
His family and rescue workers had hoped that the young man would be found alive in a void inside the silo, but at approximately 7:25 a.m. Tuesday, a Loudoun County Fire Department official announced that the young man was found deceased. Loudoun County Fire and Rescue Services officials say that the man was found "under large volumes of mineral filler and metal equipment" inside the silo at 6:30 a.m.
Luck Stone then released a statement from its president and CEO, Charlie Luck:
"Despite tremendous recovery efforts, it is with great sadness that Luck Stone announces our associate involved in the silo incident did not survive the accident. Out of respect for the associate and the family, Luck Stone is keeping the identity and name of the associate private. “We are a family here at Luck Companies and today we lost a family member. Our hearts go out to the associate’s family and they will remain in our thoughts and prayers. We will be remembering, honoring and celebrating the associate for the contributions and positive impact he made on our company.”
The rescue efforts were hampered by several factors. Debris had to be removed from outside of the silo, then structural engineers deemed that the structure was too unstable for firefighters to go near for fear of collapse so heavy cranes and support equipment had to be brought in on Monday. The silo was not "adequately stabilized" until 7:50 p.m., according to fire officials. The search then resumed. Tuesday morning, crews had to wait for a storm to pass before searching again
