An avalanche shell explosion left two workers from the Colorado Department of Transportation wounded on Monday, according to a report by the Associated Press.
One victim sustained serious injuries from the shell, which reportedly detonated too early while the two were trying to set off a round near Interstate 70.
According to spokesperson for the department Tony DeVito, the two workers were firing the round up a hillside, in hopes of clearing a steep hole that had been filled up with ice and snow near the highway, located around 50 miles west of Denver.
The men were reportedly standing close to a barricade when the explosion occurred, hitting both of them above the waist. A third person working on the hillside was present during the blast, but did not sustain any injuries.
"We are taking this situation very seriously and will be looking into how to improve the safety of our crew members during avalanche reduction practices," DeVito wrote in a statement obtained by the Associated Press. "The safety of our crews and the traveling public are our top priority and we ask you keep these gentlemen in your thoughts today."
The risk of an avalanche spiked on Monday morning, after nine inches of snow fell on the area close to Loveland Pass, the Colorado Avalanche Information Center reported.
"We are continuing to look at how we handled it," DeVito announced during a press conference on Monday.
The highway through Loveland Basin has been sealed off, and Colorado DOT workers have been instructed to suspend use of the shells indefinitely, pending an investigation of the accident. In the meantime, workers will use different means to start controlled landslides.
The cause of the explosion is not yet known.
The two workers were immediately transferred to St. Anthony Hospital for treatment and medical assessment, AP reported.
