Â鶹´«Ã½

Skip to main content

Wyoming tornado injures 8 people and flips buses and train cars at mine site, report says

FILE - This Friday, Sept. 6, 2019, file photo, shows a mine just north of Gillette, Wyo.A tornado touched down at a mine in Wyoming Friday evening, injuring eight people and knocking over employee transport buses and empty train cars at the facility, a news report said. (AP Photo/Mead Gruver, File) FILE - This Friday, Sept. 6, 2019, file photo, shows a mine just north of Gillette, Wyo.A tornado touched down at a mine in Wyoming Friday evening, injuring eight people and knocking over employee transport buses and empty train cars at the facility, a news report said. (AP Photo/Mead Gruver, File)
Share
CAMPBELL COUNTY, Wyo. -

A tornado touched down at a mine in Wyoming Friday evening, injuring eight people and knocking over employee transport buses and empty train cars at the facility, a news report said.

The tornado hit the North Antelope Rochelle Mine in Campbell County around 6 p.m. during a storm complex that also delivered tornadoes to neighbouring Natrona and Johnson counties, the Gillette News Record reported.

The Campbell County Fire Department responded to the open-pit coal mine about 64 miles (103 kilometres) south of Gillette.

Six people with non-life-threatening injuries were transported by ambulance to Gillette, one victim was transported to Douglas and another refused treatment, the newspaper reported.

The tornado struck during a shift change and flipped buses waiting to transport workers, although it was not immediately clear if there was anyone on the vehicles at the time, Campbell County Public Information Officer Leslie Perkins said.

All workers were accounted for after a search by the mine's search and rescue team, which was assisted by the Campbell County Sheriff's Office, Undersheriff Quentin Reynolds said.

The storm also knocked over 12 unoccupied train cars, the News Record reported.

Melissa Smith, a meteorologist and hydrologist with the National Weather Service office in Rapid City, South Dakota, told the newspaper that the storm system scattered tornadoes throughout Campbell, Natrona and Johnson counties.

"The tornadoes would form, come down, stay on the ground and come back up," Smith said.

Peabody Energy Inc., the operator of North Antelope Rochelle Mine with headquarters in St. Louis and South Brisbane, Australia, confirmed six employees were being treated in hospitals as of 11 p.m. Friday and that all employees had been accounted for.

"Operations have been suspended until we can fully assess facility damages and begin the process of restarting safe operations," Peabody said in a statement Saturday, which did not provide specifics about the damage caused by the tornado.

CTVNews.ca Top Stories

Childhood sleep issues may raise suicide risk, study finds

If your child sometimes has trouble sleeping, it may be easy to chalk it up to a phase they will grow out of one day. But a new study suggests possible serious consequences for this line of thought — such as a higher risk for suicidal ideation or attempts when they are older.

Local Spotlight

Cole Haas is more than just an avid fan of the F.W. Johnson Wildcats football team. He's a fixture on the sidelines, a source of encouragement, and a beloved member of the team.

Getting a photograph of a rainbow? Common. Getting a photo of a lightning strike? Rare. Getting a photo of both at the same time? Extremely rare, but it happened to a Manitoba photographer this week.

An anonymous business owner paid off the mortgage for a New Brunswick not-for-profit.

They say a dog is a man’s best friend. In the case of Darren Cropper, from Bonfield, Ont., his three-year-old Siberian husky and golden retriever mix named Bear literally saved his life.

A growing group of brides and wedding photographers from across the province say they have been taken for tens of thousands of dollars by a Barrie, Ont. wedding photographer.

Paleontologists from the Royal B.C. Museum have uncovered "a trove of extraordinary fossils" high in the mountains of northern B.C., the museum announced Thursday.

The search for a missing ancient 28-year-old chocolate donkey ended with a tragic discovery Wednesday.

The Royal Canadian Mounted Police is celebrating an important milestone in the organization's history: 50 years since the first women joined the force.

It's been a whirlwind of joyful events for a northern Ontario couple who just welcomed a baby into their family and won the $70 million Lotto Max jackpot last month.