Workers Killed in South Texas Tank Collapse

Two workers were killed in South Texas when the roof of an industrial storage tank collapsed, causing them to fall 60 feet.

The unidentified workers were welding a metal lid atop the structure Sunday afternoon at an oil plant owned by Trafigura when the roof gave way below them. Others nearby who witnessed the collapse called police.

The Corpus Christi Caller-Times reports the two men were employed by Tarsco Inc., a subcontractor for Trafigura.

Police Lt. Mark Tuley told the paper that emergency personnel used a crane to secure the tank before reaching the men. They were pronounced dead at the scene by the Nueces County medical examiner’s office.

Tuley says the incident is under investigation and that the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration was notified.