“Anytime you have something like this, you always have to think about those workers and the families of those workers and what they are going through”, Harrell said.
Advertisement
One huge explosion and then another one coming from Williams Partners’ natural gas facility in in Terrebonne Parish.
Twenty contractors from Houma-based company Danos and Geismar-based company Furmanite were working in different areas throughout the plant when the explosion happened, officials said. In addition to the three workers who died, four were injured, two seriously, Harrell said.
“The 13 Williams employees stationed at the facility have been accounted for and were not inured”, said employee John Turchin.
State police say it’s not a health threat.
The natural gas facility was not operational at the time of the explosion and gas was not flowing through the pipelines. He said a fire at the facility continued to smolder, but it appeared to be under control.
The trooper said he did not know if there had been any problems at the plant in the past.
Authorities initially reported that a pipeline had exploded.
The workers killed and injured were contractors doing maintenance work when the explosion occurred, Williams Partners said in a statement.
An initial assessment by company officials confirmed the natural gas pipeline did not rupture.
Service to Williams customers has not been interrupted, officials confirmed.
“We are deeply saddened by reports of serious injuries to personnel working at the scene”, Warren Toups, Williams operations manager, said in a news release.
The two roads were blocked in both directions near the site until about 2 p.m.
Advertisement
The road to the plant will remain closed until further notice.
