Updated | One person is dead after a TV tower collapsed in Fordland, Missouri, the Logan-Rogersville Fire Protection District reported.
The tower fell just before 10 a.m. off of Highway 60 near Highway FF, KY3 reported. The tower belongs to KOZK-TV, a PBS station operated by Missouri State University.
According to firefighters, a six-person crew was working on the tower when it collapsed. According to KY3, the crew was working about 105 feet up in the tower at the time of the incident.
Three crew members suffered minor, non-life-threatening injuries and were transported to area hospitals, Assistant Fire Chief Robert Talburt of the Logan Rogersville Fire Protection District told Newsweek.
The victim was described as a male crew member, who will be identified after next of kin are notified. "We're very lucky we didn't have any other deaths," Talburt said in an interview with KOLR-TV.
Talburt told Newsweek the tower was built in 1971 and was 1,980 feet tall. According to KOLR, the NOAA weather radio system by the National Weather Service (NWS) is one of the services that used the downed tower.
"The NOAA weather radio at Fordland (162.400mhz) is off the air until further notice," the NWS Springfield, Missouri said on Facebook. "Please look for another frequency on your weather radio until Fordland is back on the air."
Talburt told Newsweek that the Webster County Sheriff's office is investigating the collapse.
"We are shocked and saddened by the news," Suzanne Shaw, vice president for marketing and communications at Missouri State University, said in a statement. "Our condolences go out to the victims and their families. We are also providing support and resources to the other team members affected."
The university said that regional stations are helping KOZK-TV, or Ozarks Public Television, to restore service following the tragic incident.
This article has been updated to include the statement from Missouri State University.
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