Tanker carrying explosive material overturns

A tanker truck carrying 40,000 pounds of ammonium nitrate rolled over just after 8 a.m. today at the entrance to Hibbing Taconite.

The accident occurred about 8 a.m. on St. Louis County Road 5 at the entrance to Hibbing Taconite, which is owned by Cliffs Natural Resources. Cliffs spokeswoman Sandy Karnowski says the accident occurred at the entrance to the mine's two-mile-long access road.

"No employees were in the area at the time and production continues at the mine," Karnowski said.

The crash prompted officials to close a portion of Highway 5, said Dana Kazel, communications manager for St. Louis County.

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Ammonium nitrate is an explosive used to blast rock at the mine. But Kazel said no ammonium nitrate spilled from the truck, and arrangements have been made to remove it.

"There's been a lot of false rumors out there that the city of Hibbing was being evacuated," Kazel said. "This is not true. There have been no evacuations and none are planned at this point."

Emergency personnel transported the driver of the truck to an area hospital, where doctors treated him for minor injuries.

The truck is owned by Dyno Nobel, which provides explosives to blast rock in iron ore mines.