The bodies of five men missing after an explosion on a rig drilling for natural gas in Oklahoma have been discovered.
The explosion, which occurred on a well being operated by Patterson-UTI Energy Inc. for Red Mountain Energy, obliterated the rig on the morning of Jan. 22. Seventeen workers were rescued, and five others were declared missing shortly after.
The Pittsburg County Office of Emergency Management said in a 3 p.m. CT statement that the bodies of the five men were discovered. "At approximately 2:00 PM, Sheriff Chris Morris was notified that all five of the missing workers had been located. At this time, the remains will be transported to the Medical Examiner's Office for identification. We will continue to have law enforcement securing the site until the investigation is completed," the agency said.
Besides the five men killed in the blast, one other employee was transported by helicopter to a hospital in Tulsa. The remaining 16 employees at the site at the time of the explosion were unharmed.
Patterson-UTI President and CEO Andy Hendricks said in a statement that three of the men now presumed dead were employees of the company. The cause of the explosion, he said, was still unknown.
"At this moment, no one knows with certainty what happened and it would be unwise to speculate. Well control experts and emergency responders are on site and we will conduct a thorough investigation when the incident is fully contained. We will provide updates as more facts are known," he said.
Red Mountain, whose website was down for maintenance Jan. 22, replaced its homepage with a small statement regarding this incident.
"Our hearts are heavy for those affected by the tragic oil field accident in Pittsburg County. As a company, we ask everyone to please join us in offering prayers for those who are missing and injured," the company said.
