Four killed at Cargill grain facility in Brazil

CHICAGO (Reuters) – Giant US agribusiness firm Cargill Inc confirmed that four workers died late Sunday at its grain delivery facility in Canarana, Brazil, when a silo containing soybeans collapsed.

The four killed, one employee and three contractors, were trying to release soybeans stuck inside a metal silo when it collapsed and stored grain fell. The four bodies have been located.

Minneapolis-based Cargill is investigating the accident and no further details are available, said company spokesman Tim Loesch in an email.

“We are saddened by the event and share our sympathy with the victims’ families,” Loesch said.

The grain facility was located in Brazil’s top producing soy state of Mato Grosso. Cargill has operated in Brazil – a leading food producer and exporter – since 1965 running grain plants, warehouses, port terminals and branch offices in 180 cities throughout the country.