SABINE PASS, Texas — A tragic accident early Tuesday morning at the Port Arthur LNG construction site in Sabine Pass claimed the lives of three workers from Houston and left two others injured. The incident occurred around 2 a.m., leading to an immediate halt of operations at the large-scale industrial facility.
According to a statement from Sempra Infrastructure, the collapse involved employees of Bechtel, the firm responsible for engineering, procurement, and construction at the site. Both injured workers have since been discharged from the hospital.
Bechtel confirmed that the incident involved a failure of a tank jump form system at an elevated section of the site.
The cause of the malfunction remains unclear. It's also not known whether the workers were wearing safety harnesses or were properly secured at the time of the collapse. From Texas Highway 82 on Pleasure Island looking west across the ship channel, a large concrete tank can be seen with three levels of scaffolding ringing the top. It appears that a section, possibly 8-12 feet long, of all three scaffolding levels fell. They are still attached to the structure but are now at a 45-degree angle and clearly disconnected from the rest of the scaffold.
Authorities identified the deceased as 25-year-old Felipe Mendez, 42-year-old Felix Jose Lopez—both pronounced dead at the scene—and 41-year-old Reginald Magee, who succumbed to his injuries at Christus St. Elizabeth Hospital in Beaumont. Jefferson County Justice of the Peace Brad Burnett provided confirmation of the victims’ identities.
Lopez, a Pearland resident and father of four, was named by a family member. Magee, of Houston, was recognized by a former colleague who had previously worked with him on a similar LNG project in Sabine Pass.
Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office Captain Crystal Holmes noted that not all the workers fell to the ground during the incident—two remained above—but all sustained injuries.
By Tuesday afternoon, over 12 hours after the collapse, authorities were still working to notify families. Captain Holmes stated that official names would not be released until the process was complete, likely by Wednesday.