Victim IDs released in coal slide at Pueblo power plant

· Jun. 6, 2022, 7:00 am

PUEBLO-COMANCHE-XCEL-ENERGY-COAL — Coal transported from a BNSF freight train piles up at the Comanche 3 Power Generating Station operated by Xcel Energy, southeast of Pueblo on Tuesday, Feb. 23, 2021.

Two men who died after they were buried in a coal slide at a Colorado electricity generating plant last week have been identified.

The Pueblo County Coroner said that Kyle Bussey, 28, of Pueblo and Phillip Roberts, 36, of Cañon City died in the accident Thursday at the Comanche Generating Station in Pueblo.

Kyle Bussey, 28, of Pueblo and Phillip Roberts, 36, of Canon City died of injuries sustained in an industrial accident at 2005 Lime Road in Pueblo, on 6/2. They were pronounced dead on scene by the Coroner's Office. Autopsies are scheduled. Their Next-of-Kin has been notified. pic.twitter.com/Bsu78gWsks
— Pueblo County Coroner (@CoronerPueblo) June 4, 2022

The men worked for Utah-based Savage, a contractor for Xcel Energy that operates the plant's coal yard. Witnesses reported that the accident happened on a feeder pile for the station’s coal-fired power plant, which is Colorado’s largest.

Rescuers found the bodies of the two men buried beneath about 60 feet of coal after a day-long search. The men had been standing about 30 feet up a slope of the pile when the slide occurred, according to the Pueblo Fire Department.

Xcel is working with Savage, local and federal authorities to determine the cause of the accident.

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