CAMBRIA, WISCONSIN, US — A Didion Milling employee died on Dec. 8 after an accident at the company’s corn mill in Cambria, Wisconsin, US.

At about 9:12 a.m. on Tuesday the Columbia County Dispatch received a call about an unaccounted-for employee at the Didion corn mill.

The Cambria Fire Department, Friesland Fire Department and Pardeeville EMS were dispatched and began search-and-rescue efforts. According to the Columbia County Sheriff’s office, it initially was reported the unaccounted-for employee had been working in or around a corn silo in a confined space.

Unfortunately, after hours of rescue attempts the 52-year-old employee from Wapun, Wisconsin, US, was found deceased in one of the corn bins.

“We are deeply saddened by the loss of a Didion work family member who was recovered from a grain silo at the Cambria raw corn processing facility on Dec. 8, 2020,” Didion said. “It has been a very difficult day for our Didion employee family. We are assisting authorities as they investigate the cause of this tragic event and will not be able to release additional details at this time. Our thoughts and prayers are with our employee’s loved ones and our grieving work family. We want to thank local fire and EMT professionals for their responsiveness and rescue efforts.”

The name of the employee is being withheld pending family notification.

The incident remains under investigation by the Columbia County Sheriff’s Office and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA).

In March, another accident occurred at Didion Milling when a contract worker fell while performing routine cleaning, according to the Daily Citizen.

On May 31, 2017, an explosion and large fire occurred at Didion Milling’s corn mill killing 5 people and injuring 16.

Didion Milling is a Wisconsin-based, family-owned agricultural processing business. According to Sosland Publishing’s 2020 Grain & Milling Annual, the Cambria facility has 4.2 million bushels of storage capacity.