NewsWest 9
REEVES COUNTY - Several workers were hurt after an oil rig exploded in Reeves County.
The accident happened around 9:30 am Wednesday morning near the Coyanosa area in Reeves County off of FM 1450.
According to officials with the Reeves County Sheriff's department, there were two separate situations that occurred around that same area.
At the time of the rig explosion, lightning had struck a tank battery near the that particular rig.
The two sites were about a quarter mile apart from each other.
There were no injuries from at the site of the tank battery fire.
However, at the site of the explosion, there was a crew of four men working on a unit.
According to the lead operator, they felt the ground shake underneath them when he says the rig exploded. One man, from Sweetwater, was taken to an Odessa Hospital by helicopter. According to the lead operator, that man is in critical condition. He says the worker underwent six different surgeries overnight.
The other three men were transported to a local hospital and were treated for facial bruises and minor injuries.
