Coroner: 2 workers who died in grain silo suffocated

TOLEDO, Ohio (AP) — A coroner says two men who died after they were trapped in a silo filled with grain in Ohio suffocated.

The Blade in Toledo reports Lucas County’s coroner has ruled the deaths as accidental. The coroner identified the men who died Friday in the silo operated by The Andersons company in Toledo as 29-year-old Joshua Stone, of Rossford, and 56-year-old James Heilman, of Perrysburg.

Coroner Dr. Diane Scala-Barnett said the men were breaking up compacted grain when it’s believed they came upon an air pocket, causing grain to collapse around and on them.

Toledo fire crews responded Friday morning and spent nearly two hours trying to reach the men.

A statement released by The Andersons said the company was shaken by the deaths and working with authorities to investigate.