Two workers were injured and another worker went missing Thursday night after a huge explosion occurred at a pipeline near a natural-gas plant in Paradis, west of New Orleans, the largest city in the U.S. state of Louisiana.

Six workers were cleaning a Phillips 66 pipeline near the Williams Discovery natural-gas plant in Paradis when the explosion and fire broke out, and the two injured workers were rushed to a hospital and another worker was still unaccounted for, according to The Times-Picayune, the English daily in New Orleans.

The company also confirmed the accident in a statement, saying that the accident happened at about 7:30 p.m. local time (0130 GMT Friday) and emergency response agencies have responded to the accident.

The pipeline has been shut down but the fire could last for another few hours or days.

Sixty homes within a couple of kilometers of the pipeline have been evacuated as a precaution.

source: Xinhua