A 56-year-old woman from North Dakota, has died after drowning in a huge vat of sunflower seeds.
The incident occurred at Glinz Farm in Pingree, Stutsman County, when the woman was working inside the grain bin while two trucks unloaded sunflower seeds, The Jamestown Sunreported.
While people at the farm were said to have cut holes in the side of the vat in an attempt to free her, rescue attempts were initially unsuccessful.
Fire and rescue crews arrived at the scene and eventually managed to free the woman by drilling more holes, the report said.
Despite efforts by medics to perform CPR, the woman was reportedly pronounced dead at the scene of the accident.
While the woman was said to have been wearing a harness at the time of the accident, the outlet reported that it was not attached when crews discovered her body.
The woman who died has not been identified yet as authorities continue to work to notify her family, The Jamestown Sun reported.
Thirty-nine people died in grain bin accidents last year across the US, according to Purdue University's Agricultural Safety and Health Program, UPI reported.
Once a person falls in a grain bin, they quickly pulled into the grain causing suffocation.
The Daily Yonderreported that the number of reported grain entrapments across the country rose by 27% from 2018 to 2019.
