USA: Three employees of the Coors Brewery in Golden were rushed to the hospital early on February 23 after a steam line ruptured, Denver Post revealed. The employees' injuries were not specified, but a Coors spokesman said they were not life threatening. The accident shut down streets in the area of the plant, but all streets are now open.

The steam line ruptured about midnight in the malting area of the plant, releasing steam into a nearby tunnel. Some parts of the plant were shut down after the incident, but Coors Brewery spokeswoman Laura Sankey said the steam leak has been contained and the brewery will operate at full production on February 23.

The steam line heats the Coors Brewery and the nearby Colorado School of Mines. The rupture might have affected some heating operations at the School of Mines. Coors said it was investigating the cause of the rupture.

25 February, 2004