An employee doing contract work at the BNSF Automotive Distribution Center in El Mirage has died after being trapped under a heavy metal plate, the El Mirage Police Department said.

Officers arrived at the center near U.S. 60 and Thompson Ranch Road at 9:15 a.m. Aug. 28 after an initial report that machinery had fallen on a worker in the yard, according to El Mirage police spokesperson Lt. Jimmy Chavez.

The plate was "later determined to weigh in excess of a thousand pounds," Chavez said. The man was unresponsive and confirmed dead by fire personnel.

The identity of the man had not yet been released, as of 4 p.m. Aug. 28.

When contacted by The Arizona Republic, BNSF said the "unfortunate incident" didn't involve a BNSF employee or BNSF equipment, according to BNSF Director of External

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