4 Killed After Gas Leak at Texas Chemical Plant

Four workers at a DuPont chemical plant in Texas have been killed and a fifth has been hospitalized following a dangerous gas leak.

The workers were responding to a leak of methyl mercaptan, which has a rotten-egg smell when mixed with odorless natural gas, when they were overcome around 4 a.m. CT on Sunday, according to plant manager Randall Clements, the New York Times reports.

The leak was contained around 6 a.m. and poses no threat to the community of La Porte, Texas, which is approximately 20 miles east of Houston, the company said. Experts from the U.S. Chemical Safety Board will travel to La Porte Sunday and begin investigating the leak. The company says the leak was caused by a malfunctioning container of the gas.

[NYT]