Woman drowned in vat of sunflower seeds after going in with faulty harness

The 56-year-old woman died in a grain bin on Glinz Farm Wednesday in Pingree, North Dakota after two trucks unloaded sunflower seeds into the bin while she was inside

A woman drowned in a huge vat of sunflower seeds after she went in with a faulty harness, police said.

The 56-year-old woman died in a grain bin on Glinz Farm Wednesday in Pingree, North Dakota while she helped two trucks unload sunflower seeds- wearing a harness that was not attached to anything, according to Stutsman County Sheriff Chad Kaiser.

Authorities responded to the farm and tried to save the woman by cutting holes into the side of the vat. Fire and rescue crews arrived a short time later and drilled more holes into the vat.

The woman was eventually freed and paramedics began performing CPR on her, but she was pronounced dead a short time later at the scene, according to the Jamestown Sun.

Authorities have not released the identity of the woman as they work to notify her family.

There have reportedly been at least 20 grain bin deaths since August 2019 in the United States.

According to Purdue University research released earlier this year, there have been at about 370 entrapment cases in grain bins over the last 10 years and those cases are fatal more than 60% of the time.

The number of reported grain entrapments across the country rose by 27% from 2018 to 2019. That year, deaths rose due to grain bin entrapment rose by 53%, according to The Daily Yonder.

However, the actual number of entrapments is likely at least 33% higher due to unreported non-fatal accidents, according to Purdue University.

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