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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Man killed when truck falls into pit at Montana coal mine

Avista has a 15 percent ownership in Units 3 and 4 at the Colstrip Steam Electric Station in Colstrip, Montana. (Kathy Plonka / The Spokesman-Review)
Associated Press

COLSTRIP, Mont. – Authorities say a worker at a southeastern Montana coal mine died after a truck he was driving fell 100 feet into a pit.

The Billings Gazette reported the man was killed Saturday at the Rosebud Mine outside Colstrip.

The man’s name wasn’t immediately released. Federal officials are investigating.

No one else was in the vehicle, described as a large dump truck.

The man was pronounced dead at the scene. A mine rescue crew rappelled into the pit to recover the body.

The mine owner, Westmoreland Coal Co. of Englewood, Colorado, said operations have been suspended in that part of the mine.