Man nearly buried in corn is rescued in Freeborn County

ELLENDALE, Minn. (AP) – An Owatonna man is rescued from a grain bin after he was buried up to his neck in corn.

Freeborn County sheriff’s officials say 65-year-old Christopher Johnson was clearing a crust layer of corn that was plugging the bin Wednesday when that layer gave way and he sank into the corn at the rural Ellendale farm.

KTTC-TV (http://bit.ly/1Hizd4C ) says family members tried to shovel grain away from Johnson, but the corn began to collapse around them, so they called for help.

Sheriff Kurt Freitag says rescuers entered the grain bin from the roof and lowered a tube around Johnson Then they cut holes at the base of the bin to let the corn out. Once the grain level was low enough, rescuers lifted Johnson from another hole. He was taken by air to a Rochester hospital.