A teenager from Georgia driving on the Iron Range ran into a moose, leaving her and her passenger injured, authorities said Monday.

The collision occurred about 11:15 p.m. Sunday on Forest Hwy. 11 in Bassett Township, roughly 40 miles east of Eveleth, the St. Louis County Sheriff's Office said.

The driver of the subcompact car, 17-year-old Amaya Nelson of Milledgeville, Ga., and passenger Remington Dellinger, 22, of Two Harbors, Minn., were hospitalized with noncritical injuries, according to the Sheriff's Office.

As for the moose, the Sheriff's Office said the animal did not survive the collision and has been turned over to game wardens representing American Indian tribes in the area so it can be processed and distributed to tribal members for food.

The state Department of Natural Resources reported in March that the moose population in that part of Minnesota totals about 4,180. The agency said that number represents an eighth consecutive year of population stability.

Paul Walsh • 612-673-4482