Four Cargill Inc. workers in Brazil died Sunday afternoon when a silo containing soybeans collapsed on them, the company said Monday.

The four, including one employee and three contractors, were trying to release soybeans stuck inside a metal silo at a grain delivery facility in Canarana, Brazil, when the structure collapsed, said company spokesman Tim Loesch. Cargill is investigating the cause of the accident in the central Brazilian state of Mato Grosso.

"We are saddened by the event and share our sympathy with the victims' families," the company said in a statement.

Brazil is one of Minnetonka-based Cargill's larger international operations. Cargill Foods Brazil provides food manufacturers with refined blends of soybean and specialty oils and hydrogenated oils.

Steve Alexander