A 19-year-old man died in a landslide at Minneopa State Park outside of Mankato on Saturday, authorities say.
19-year-old man dies in landslide at Minneopa State Park near Mankato
Authorities say a man became trapped under earth that collapsed near the Minneopa Falls.
December 3, 2023 at 3:37AM
The victim became trapped under earth that collapsed near the Minneopa Falls area just before 5 p.m., according to the Blue Earth County Sheriff's Office. Emergency responders found the trapped man and determined he had died at the scene.
The man's identity has not been released, and no other details about the landslide were available Saturday night. An investigation is ongoing.
Landslides are not uncommon in Minnesota, especially in the Minnesota River Valley where Saturday's slide took place.
The U.S. Geological Survey says the most common type of landslides in the state are "shallow slope failures" prompted by heavy rain.
"Rockfalls are common around cliffs — cracks in solid bedrock allow large blocks of rock to fall, sometimes during freeze-thaw cycles," the agency wrote in a report last year. "Runoff associated with land-use change and drainage practices across extensive upland agricultural landscapes may also increase landslide activity."
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