Five missing after Houston firm's rig explodes in Oklahoma
A fiery explosion at an Oklahoma drilling rig Monday left five people missing, including three employees of the rig's owner, Patterson-UTI Energy of Houston.
The explosion cut through the Patterson-UTI rig just before 9 a.m. Monday, according to Oklahoma authorities, and the Houston driller confirmed that three of its workers were among the missing at the Pittsburg County natural gas well site. Patterson-UTI said the cause of the fire is unknown at this time.
"At this moment, no one knows with certainty what happened and it would be unwise to speculate," Andy Hendricks, Patterson-UTI's chief executive, said in a statement. "Well control experts and emergency responders are on site and we will conduct a thorough investigation when the incident is fully contained. "
Hendricks said the company was providing support to the families of the missing, whose names have not been released.
"There is nothing more important to us than the safety of our employees and others we partner with in the field, "Hendricks said. "Tonight, our thoughts and prayers go out to all those affected and their loved ones."
More: http://www.mrt.com/business/energy/article/Five-missing-after-Oklahoma-rig-explosion-12516195.php
In this photo provided from a frame grab from Tulsa's KOTV/NewsOn6.com, fires burn at an eastern Oklahoma drilling rig near Quinton, Okla., Monday Jan. 22, 2018. Five people are missing after a fiery explosion ripped through a drilling rig, sending plumes of black smoke into the air and leaving a derrick crumpled on the ground, emergency officials said. (Christina Goodvoice, KOTV/NewsOn6.com via AP)
= new reply since forum marked as read
But the objections that we've heard so far all seem to have come from coastal states' governors - of either party. And though we initially heard that Florida was given a pass, it now seems "to be back on the table." You'd think we would have learned something from Deepwater Horizon. And apparently this entire area is still burning so they have no way of knowing the fate of the missing, can't even begin to search until the fire is extinguished and investigators can get in there. 
Florida offshore oil drilling may be back on table
https://www.democraticunderground.com/1127115098
It was even reported on the local (Albany, NY) news here. And it didn't turn out well for the missing workers, not surprising, but a tragedy nonetheless. 
Sheriff: Remains of 5 missing gas rig workers recovered
Officials on Tuesday recovered the remains of five gas rig workers who had been missing since a fiery explosion in eastern Oklahoma a day earlier.
Pittsburg County Sheriff Chris Morris said once the natural gas drilling rig was stabilized following the blast and subsequent fires, employees from the state medical examiner's office went into the wreckage and recovered the bodies in about two hours.
"The bodies were located in the area where they were presumed to be working in, what they call the 'dog house,'" Morris said, referring to a room on the rig floor that generally serves as an office for the drilling crew.
He said state and federal investigators will work with the companies involved to determine how Monday's blast occurred.
An initial incident report into the explosion indicates there was an uncontrolled release of gas that caught fire and that a worker at the scene tried unsuccessfully to shut down the well.
More: http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/search-resuming-missing-oklahoma-explosion-52546920
Smoke billows from the site of a gas well fire near Quinton, Okla., early Monday, Jan. 22, 2018. Several people are missing after a fiery explosion ripped through the eastern Oklahoma drilling rig, sending plumes of black smoke into the air and leaving a derrick crumpled onto the ground, an emergency official said. (Kevin Harvison/The McAlester News-Capital via AP)
