Your support helps us to tell the story Read more Support Now From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging. At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story. The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it. Your support makes all the difference. Read more

A worker is dead after being buried beneath three feet of asphalt when a tank carrying 50,000 gallons of searing hot asphalt ruptured and spilled in South Houston, authorities said.

The deadly accident happened around 3:30 p.m. at the Martin Asphalt facility near Christy Place and Texas Street, according to city officials and the Harris County Fire Marshal’s Office.

The spill engulfed part of the site, trapping the worker under what officials estimated to be three feet of asphalt. A source told FOX26 the temperature of the tar was about 210 degrees (98C).

Emergency crews, including Houston Fire Department HAZMAT teams and local responders, arrived shortly after the rupture. They recovered the worker’s body, though officials said the process took time due to the conditions.

Martin Asphalt has confirmed that the worker is an employee, but their identity has not yet been released.

open image in gallery A worker is dead after a storage tank truck ruptured, spilling 50,000 gallons of asphalt the Martin Asphalt facility in South Houston on Wednesday ( FOX26 )

Officials said air monitoring continued into Wednesday evening, but insisted there is no danger to the surrounding community. Recovery operations have since been completed.

Martin Midstream Partners LP CFO Sharon Taylor told ABC13 that the victim's body has been recovered, but the cause of the incident has not been determined.

“Martin Asphalt confirms with deep regret that an employee involved in a recent incident at our South Houston, Texas asphalt terminal has died,” the company said in a statement. “This is a tragic situation, and we are treating it with the utmost seriousness at every level of our company.”

The statement went on to say that “Safety is a fundamental priority for our company. We maintain established safety procedures and emergency response protocols across our operations, and those protocols were activated. We have commenced a comprehensive internal review of the incident and are in the process of gathering and evaluating all relevant facts and information. We are also cooperating with appropriate governmental authorities in connection with their reviews.”

Details surrounding the rupture remain unclear, but the Pasadena Fire Marshal’s Office is leading the investigation, officials said.

“At this time, the cause of the incident has not been determined,” Martin Asphalt stated. “It would be inappropriate to speculate prior to the completion of the review processes. Our focus is on ensuring a thorough, objective, and methodical evaluation of the circumstances.”

“Our deepest sympathies are with the employee’s family during this difficult time,” the statement continued. “We are focused on supporting those affected, including providing appropriate resources to our workforce.”