Investigators said they believe carbon monoxide poisoning is to blame for a mining accident in the southwestern region of Colorado that left two dead.
Another 20 were injured at the Revenue-Virginius mine in the town of Ouray, CBS reported. All but two have been treated and released from a nearby hospital, officials said during a late Sunday press conference.
Officials said they’re not positive about the source of the gas leak, but they think a small explosion during the mining process may have been to blame, CBS reported.
At least 10 of those who were injured were treated for carbon dioxide exposure, the Montrose Daily Press reported. The condition of the two still at the hospital is not known.
The two dead were ages 34 and 59, KCNC reported.
“I knew both of these individuals personally,” said Rory Williams, the operations manager for the Denver-based Star Mine LLC, in CBS. “They were hard-working men. They were great men. They will be remembered indeed.”
• Cheryl K. Chumley can be reached at cchumley@washingtontimes.com.
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