2 die after getting trapped inside Ill. grain bin

The Associated Press

MOUNT CARROLL, Ill. — Authorities say two young workers died and another is in serious condition after becoming trapped inside a grain bin in northwestern Illinois.

The Carroll County sheriff's department says 19-year-old Alejandro Pacas and 14-year-old Wyatt Whitebread were pronounced dead Wednesday night.

A hospital spokeswoman says 20-year-old William Piper is in serious condition Thursday.

Early Wednesday, rescue workers cut holes in the bin and drained thousands of pounds of corn to pull the men from the bin in Mount Carroll, about 120 miles west of Chicago.

Occupational Safety and Health Administration spokesman Scott Allen said Thursday the accident was "very preventable," and that Whitebread was illegally working at age 14.