The five employees reported missing after an Oklahoma rig explosion on Monday are presumed dead, officials said on Tuesday.
Pittsburg County Sheriff Chris Morris said at a news conference that the search for the workers has turned to a recovery mission after the blast in eastern Oklahoma, about 100 miles southeast of Tulsa.
Morris identified the employees as: Josh Ray of Fort Worth, Texas; Matt Smith of McAlester, Oklahoma; Cody Risk of Wellington, Colorado; Parker Waldridge of Crescent, Oklahoma; and Roger Cunningham of Seminole, Oklahoma.
Three of the workers were employed by Houston-based Patterson-UTI Energy Inc. Company president and CEO Andy Hendricks pledged a full investigation into the explosion.
Authorities said the men were at a depth of 13,500 feet drilling to 17,000 feet when the blast took place, FOX 25 News reported.
OKLAHOMA RIG EXPLOSION LEAVES 5 MISSING, EMERGENCY OFFICIAL SAYS
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.
(Christina Goodvoice, KOTV/NewsOn6.com via AP)
Sixteen people who were on the site at the time of the blast escaped without major injuries. One person was airlifted to a hospital for treatment.
The explosion sparked several fires and sent thick black smoke into the air. The derrick, a towering metal structure above the well, also collapsed.
Fox News’ Katherine Lam, Matt Richardson and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
