MAYES COUNTY, Okla. — Following an hours-long effort, two men who were trapped following an explosion at Kerr Dam have died, a GRDA spokesman said Friday morning.
“At approximately 4:30 a.m. this morning, Friday, May 14th, recovery crews were able to recover the bodies of two men who had been trapped inside Kerr Dam since an explosion occurred at approximately 6 p.m. Thursday,” said John Wiscaver, executive vice president of GRDA said in a statement. “Both men were contractors. No GRDA employees were involved in the incident.”
A full investigation into the incident is underway, Wiscaver said.
A spokesperson with the GRDA said the explosion happened when three contractors were conducting routine core sampling checks in a shaft.
The GRDA said one person was able to get out of the area after the explosion and refused treatment.
The GRDA said the dam is stable.
BREAKING: The GRDA confirms two men are dead after an explosion at Kerr Dam. They were trapped 80 feet below the surface, and their bodies have now been recovered. Tragic update 😞 pic.twitter.com/QkrsY8EnyV
— Amanda Gilbert (@AGilbertReports) May 14, 2021
Cox Media Group