PLAQUEMINES PARISH, Louisiana (WVUE/Gray News) – A pipeline worker who went missing after an explosion near South Pass, Louisiana, has been found dead, according to the U.S. Coast Guard. The cause of the explosion is under investigation.

The Louisiana State Police’s Emergency Unit reported that the explosion occurred shortly after 8 p.m. Saturday in a marshland near Venice in Plaquemines Parish. Joshua Nichols, 40, who was believed to be working on the pipeline at the time, was killed, WVUE reports.

Police said Nichols was riding a mud boat near a natural gas pipeline at the time of the explosion and fire. His body was recovered Sunday morning by the Plaquemines Parish Sheriff’s Office near the site of the explosion.

The New Orleans Sector of the Coast Guard initially received information about the explosion and subsequently initiated a joint search operation with boat and aircraft units.

The cause of the explosion is still being investigated.

According to police, the pipelines are blocked and one is still burning. The remaining natural gas in the pipeline is apparently burning. Air monitoring has taken measurements and, according to police, there is no danger to the public.

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