Thursday, April 19, 2018

MO Radio, TV: Broadcast Tower Drops, 1 Dead


A broadcast tower in Webster County, Missouri collapsed Thursday morning, killing one individual and injuring several others, according to the assistant fire chief of the Logan-Rogersville Fire Protection District.

According to the Springfield MO News-Leader, the tower was used to broadcast non-com radio KSMU 91.1 FM and Ozarks Public Television KOZK.

Assistant Chief Rob Talburt said the 50 to 60 people from multiple agencies have responded to the tower collapse at 905 State Highway FF, near Fordland, east of Springfield MO.



At 11 a.m., Talburt said officials were still not sure what caused the tower collapse.

Talburt said just before 10 a.m., six workers were performing routine maintenance on the 1,980-foot-tall tower when it went down.

He said the workers were about 105 feet high at that time.

One worker was trapped and killed, and the other five suffered non-life-threatening injuries, according to Talburt.

"It's very lucky that we didn't have more fatalities out here," Talburt said.


There are what appears to be tangled metal pieces at the base of the tower, which is completely on its side.

Talburt said the surviving workers were in a state of shock when first responders arrived.

According to a November architectural bid document from Missouri State apparently referring to the tower that collapsed, the tower stood 1,891 feet tall.

The area in Webster County has an elevation of 1,600 feet above sea level, 300 feet higher than Springfield, making it a desirable location for tower transmissions.

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