The mother of a woman who remained missing a day after a Kansas City restaurant was destroyed by a natural gas explosion says the family is awaiting confirmation that a body found in the rubble is that of her daughter.
Genny Cramer says Fire Department officials told her dental records were being used to determine if Megan Cramer’s body was the one found Wednesday in the building where she had worked as a server. Cramer says her family is certain their daughter died in the blast.
Genny Cramer says she talked to her daughter on the phone Tuesday while Megan Cramer was getting ready for work.
A Missouri Gas Energy official says a subcontractor working for a cable company hit a natural gas line with an underground borer more than an hour before the explosion leveled the restaurant and killed at least one person, and injuring fifteen people.
MGE Chief Operating Officer Rob Hack says a Heartland Midwest worker called 911 at 4:54 p.m. Tuesday to report hitting a gas line near JJ’s restaurant. An MGE worker arrived at the scene at 5:16 p.m. and a backhoe got there about seven minutes before the 6:04 p.m. explosion to dig up the ground at the leak site.
Mayor Sly James says nobody reported a gas leak to the fire department or MGE prior to subcontractor’s call to 911.
Heartland Midwest did not immediately return a call seeking comment.
Natural gas pipeline experts say explosions from leaks are far too common, especially in cities with hundreds of miles of underground lines.
Federal law designates gas companies as the primary responders during natural gas emergencies, but sometimes even experts can be caught off-guard by gas build-ups that end in tragedies such as the explosion Tuesday at JJ’s restaurant in Kansas City.
Pipeline safety consultant Richard Kuprewicz of Redmond, Washington says it’s typically up to the gas company to decide whether to evacuate during a leak. Even so, he says it’s a good idea for anyone who smells a strong gas odor to leave the area immediately.
Rebecca Craven with Pipeline Safety Trust in Bellingham, Washington says 37 percent of the most serious natural gas incidents are caused by excavation damage.
