Officials investigate deadly Texas gas explosion

By ANGELA K. BROWN Associated Press Writer

CLEBURNE, Texas (AP) - Authorities are investigating a natural gas explosion in rural north Texas that killed one utility worker.

Officials are trying to find out how a utility crew hit a large natural gas line Monday afternoon, sending a massive fireball into he area.

Johnson County's emergency management coordinator, Jack Snow, says officials want to know if the gas line was marked before the blast.

The federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration is among numerous agencies at the scene.

The lone utility worker missing after the blast was found dead Monday night, once searchers could safely walk through the entire charred area. Authorities had hoped the missing man had left the scene on his own, like some of his colleagues who drove themselves to hospitals.