Oil Rig Explosion in Texas Kills 3 Workers, Injures Fourth

Three oil field workers were killed when a drilling rig exploded in West Texas. A fourth worker at the well site escaped injury.

The Associated Press reported Dusty Kilgore of the Upton County Sheriff's Office as saying the accident happened Tuesday morning near Rankin, about 40 miles south of Midland.

Kilgore said a pulling unit crew was at the site when the explosion happened. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration website describes a pulling unit as a well-servicing outfit.

Kilgore says one other worker at the site was not hurt in the explosion. He didn't release the names of those killed.

The well is owned by Parsley Energy of Midland. Company spokeswoman Lisa Elliott said the workers who died were employed by Mason Well Service Ltd. of Odessa, an independent contractor.

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