MILES O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: Ten campers are dead, two others critically injured after a natural gas pipeline explosion in New Mexico yesterday. Authorities say the victims were camping along the Pecos River when the pipeline exploded just south of Carlsbad. For more, we turn to Keely Chalmers of our Albuquerque affiliate, KOAT -- Keely.</s>KEELY CHALMERS, KOAT REPORTER: Well, Miles, the explosion happened about a mile down this road. You can still see police have barricaded the street, making sure nobody gets in there. Now this area is clearly marked with signs stating that there are high pressurized gas lines nearby but it is still an unrestricted area. That means anyone can come in here and camp and that's exactly what police say 12 people, members of at least two families, were doing shortly after five yesterday morning when an underground gas pipeline ruptured, triggering an explosion so intense it scorched an area at least 600 feet in diameter and blasted a crater in the ground 86 feet long, 46 feet wide and 20 feet deep. When fire crews arrived around six in the morning, they found six people already dead, four children and two adults. Six others were alive in or near the Pecos River. Those six were taken to University Hospital in Lubbock. Four passed away last night, including a seven- year-old girl who had been transported to Shriner's in Galveston, Texas. So again, the death toll is at 10 this morning, five children and five adults, but the investigation will continue. This morning, NTSB officials are expected to arrive here later this morning and they'll just try to find out exactly what happened -- Miles.</s>O'BRIEN: Keely, what about the safety record of that particular pipeline? Been any problems along it in recent memory?</s>CHALMERS: Well, at a press conference last night, the chairman of El Paso Energy said that the pipeline was in good shape. It actually had been inspected earlier this month and everything checked out OK -- Miles.</s>O'BRIEN: All right, that's Keely Chalmers with our Albuquerque affiliate, KOAT. Thanks very much.
Ten Campers Dead After Natural Gas Pipeline Explosion in New Mexico