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NEWS BRIEFS
W.Va. gas worker killed in EQT well pad blast
GRAFTON, W.Va. (AP) — State regulators say a worker has been killed in an explosion at an EQT natural gas well pad in Taylor County.
Department of Environmental Protection spokeswoman Kathy Cosco says the blast happened early Friday morning and killed one person who was working alone. No information about the victim was immediately available.
Cosco says the worker was attempting to transfer brine from a tank into a truck. What sparked the explosion is unclear and will be the focus of the state’s investigation.
Brine is the salty, chemical-laced water that gas drillers use to blast fissures into shale, allowing the gas to migrate up for collection. Cosco says some of the chemicals used in the brine can be flammable.
Pittsburgh-based EQT didn’t immediately return a telephone message.
