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St. Paul Taps Engineering Firm In Landslide Probe

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP/WCCO) — The city of St. Paul says it's hired a civil engineering firm to examine the site of a gravel slide this week that killed two children.

The children, 9-year-old Haysem Sani and 10-year-old Mohamed Fofana, were fourth-graders on a field trip from Peter Hobart Elementary in St. Louis Park. They were exploring a popular fossil area at Lilydale Regional Park when the gravel slide hit them Wednesday. Authorities say persistent rains saturated the soil and contributed to the slide.

The city announced Friday that Northern Technologies Inc. had been retained as part of its investigation. Parks and Recreation Director Mike Hahm said in a news release that the firm had experience evaluating collapses and natural disasters.

Its report is expected to be returned within several weeks.

The city has closed off park's the fossil area until further notice.

(TM and © Copyright 2013 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2013 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved.This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)

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