Oklahoma Gas Well Explodes; 5 Missing (Photos)

QUINTON, OK — Five people are missing after a gas well exploded in Quinton on Monday morning, officials say. The fiery blast erupted before 9 a.m. on state Route 31 and Bascom Road, according to Pittsburg County officials.

Photos posted on social media show the explosion sent a cloud of thick smoke into the air and crumpled a derrick, a tall metal structure above the well.

The missing men have since been identified.

Seventeen people were accounted for, the county emergency management office tells Patch. A grief counseling center has been set up at the Quinton Community Center for families of the affected workers.

Sixteen people were unharmed and one person was airlifted to St John’s hospital in Tulsa, emergency officials say. The fire is out, including the well head. Firefighters are on standby, prepared perform fire suppression if needed.

The names of the workers missing weren't immediately released.

Bascum Road is open but the well site is closed pending investigation. Patterson UTI is the drilling company.

Red Mountain Energy operates the drilling site, according to a spokesman for the Oklahoma Corporation Commission, which regulates oil and gas operators in the state.

BREAKING: Oil rig explosion near Quinton, Oklahoma. Injuries reported, 5 workers are missing. pic.twitter.com/oF8ieXXeCP
— Jon Haverfield (@JonDopplerWX) January 22, 2018

New Updates on oil rig explosion. OHP says nitrous oxide is leaking. https://t.co/VUJstoSWWC
— Cori Duke (@CoriDuke_KJRH) January 22, 2018

5 people missing after oil rig explosion in Pittsburg County https://t.co/45q56xUfFE pic.twitter.com/IJZ659NzQP
— KFOR (@kfor) January 22, 2018

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Photo credit: Screenshot YouTube