One dead after television tower collapses in Missouri
FORDLAND, Mo. (KOLR) — Webster County authorities confirm a report of a tower collapse near Fordland Thursday morning.
Dispatchers say it happened just before 10:00 a.m. on property on State Highway FF near Saddleclub Road.
The Logan Rogersville Fire Protection District posted on its Facebook page that one person has died.
Assistant LR Fire Chief Rob Talburt says 6 people were working on the tower, performing “routine maintenance”, and were about 105 feet in the air at the time of collapse.
Webster County Sheriff Roye Cole says the man who died was among those on the tower at the time.
In addition to the one death, three other people were transported to area hospitals to be checked, but the injuries were not life-threatening. “We’re very lucky we didn’t have any other deaths,” Talburt said.
Talburt says the tower is owned by KOZK, the PBS station operated by Missouri State University.
One of the services using the downed tower is the NOAA weather radio system by the National Weather Service. The NWS posted:
The Webster County Sheriff’s office is handling the investigation into the collapse, Talburt said.