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Gas well blast injures seven in US

(Xinhua)
Updated: 2010-06-08 03:02

WASHINGTON - Seven workers with a drilling crew working on a natural gas well in the US state of West Virginia were injured when their drill hit an underground pocket of methane gas and caused an explosion, officials said Monday.

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The injured workers mostly suffered burns, as the blast created a column of flame as high as 20 meters. The injured workers were undergoing treatments. Reports quoted their employer as saying they are expected to survive.

The blast occurred in the early morning at the site of an abandoned coal mine about 90 kilometers southwest of Pittsburgh in the nearby state of Pennsylvania. The drilling company said the flame is now under control, and they intend to bring in experts to decide whether to let the methane burn out or extinguish the fire.

Local authorities said the fire now poses no threat to people or structures nearby.