A skid loader broke through the ice covering a dormant manure pit on a central Minnesota farm, sending the operator to his death, authorities said Wednesday.

The incident occurred Tuesday afternoon in Krain Township, about 18 miles east of Sauk Centre, according to the Stearns County Sheriff’s Office.

Duane Herzog, 46, who lived on the farm property, was underwater in the pit for about 20 minutes before emergency personnel freed him from the loader and took him to Hennepin County Medical Center, where he died, the Sheriff’s Office said.