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UPDATE: 2 Dead, 9 Injured in Separator Explosion in Loving County

A West Texas sheriff says two oil workers have been killed and nine others injured in an explosion at an oil field near the New Mexico border.
Staff Report
Associated Press/NewsWest 9

MENTONE, Texas (AP) - A West Texas sheriff says two oil workers have been killed and nine others injured in an explosion at an oil field near the New Mexico border.

Loving County Sheriff Billy Hopper says an emergency call was received between 8 and 8:30 a.m. Wednesday about the accident at an oil rig, which was operating some 10 miles south of the New Mexico line.

Hopper says the workers were operating a rig that separates production fluids, such as oil from water.

He says emergency personnel are at the scene but receiving updates is difficult because radio communications are erratic and cell phones are inoperable in the rural area.

The extent of the injuries to the nine workers was not immediately clear.

We're told the area is owned by RKI Exploration and Production.

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