A moose was struck by several vehicles and died on an interstate early Wednesday in western Minnesota, a part of the state where the animal is rarely seen.

A semitrailer truck first hit the moose about 4:45 a.m. along Interstate 94 near Barnesville, then one or two other vehicles did the same, according to the State Patrol.

Clay County Sheriff Bill Bergquist said a 51-year-old woman ran into the moose with her small car and was hospitalized for her injuries. Bergquist had no information on her condition as of Wednesday afternoon.

Patrol Sgt. Jesse Grabow said the sighting of moose in that area is not "as common as it was" when he was growing up in western Minnesota.

"It seemed to occur about one or two times a time a year on I-94 between mile post 10 and 40 from I'd say 1992 to 2007," said Grabow, who has been patrolling I-94 in western Minnesota for about 16 years.

Bergquist concurred, adding, "the last few years we haven't seen any" incidents in the county of vehicles hitting moose. "There is a very large swamp area around Barnesville, so there are some around there," he added.

Moose in Minnesota are nearly all concentrated in the northeastern part of the state, according to the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources. The DNR's most recent tally in northeastern Minnesota put the population at roughly 4,350. In 2006, the DNR count topped 8,800. The agency has no firm answer for the decline.

Paul Walsh • 612-673-4482