NEWS 28 - The cause of the explosion that killed 5 in Towton, New Shire on Sunday was caused by an error by construction crews who thought they had avoided the gas lines before an excavator begun digging striking the gas line.
“We now know what led the explosion, our next focus is why the digging crews were unaware of where the gas line was,” said New Shire Secretary Of Energy Stephen Paulding in a statement. “New Shire law prescribes that the gas lines must be marked clearly and abundantly around and on the gas lines, and that if done properly, and event such as the one we saw in Towton, should never have occurred.”
The gas company, Jesstopian Gas company, also known as JGC, is facing millions in fines if, the investigation finds that JGC failed to clearly mark where gas lines were at the time of the explosion.
”It is a sad reality that the workers who were killed in Towton’s explosion on Sunday,” said Governor Rodgers. “An unnecessary tragedy that could’ve been prevented had the gas lines been marked. From what it sounds like, the flags that are required by law were no where to be found. My office is awaiting the findings of the investigation.”
The identities of the 5 workers killed have been released. Their identities are 25 Year Old Marco Davidson, 42 Year Old Richard Sode, 34 year old Reuben Valentino, 23 year old Vance Kiljoy, and 26 year old Mitchel Hagen.
The explosion is the first fatal gas line explosion of the Jesstopian Gas Company. It has worked with and is continuing to cooperate with investigators.
”Our goal is the prevent another incident like this from happening again,” said a spokesperson for JGC. “We have nothing to hide and we are opening up our records to the investigators and state authorities.”