Satartia gas rupture hospitalizes 46 and displaces 300

The Mississippi Emergency Management Agency is assisting the Yazoo County Emergency Management Agency after a 24-inch pressurized pipe ruptured, Feb. 22, 2020, around 8 p.m. The rupture happened in a heavily wooded area near Highway 433 near Satartia.  More than 300 residents were evacuated. At this time, 46 people are being treated at area hospitals.

The pipe contained Carbon Dioxide (CO2) and Hydrogen Sulfide (H2S). Residents in the area complained of green gas and a noxious odor. The pipeline belongs to Denbury Enterprises.

Currently, the Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality is working to determine if the area is safe so residents can return home. Meanwhile, a shelter is open at Yazoo County Junior High School, located at 116 Panther Drive, Yazoo City.

Through an initial investigation, the rupture could be a result of recent weather events. It appears the ground caved into a ravine damaging the 24-inch pipe.