Three die in underground explosion

JOHNTOWN, Texas - The Red River County Sheriff's Office is investigating an explosion over the weekend that killed three people in a underground structure.

The Sheriff's Office received a call about 1:35 p.m. Sunday and responded to a private road in the rural Johntown community, which is about 22 miles northwest of Mount Pleasant, Texas.

Deputies had received a 911 call advising a residential structure had exploded that possibly had three people inside, said Sheriff Jimmy Caldwell in a news release.

The cause of the explosion is still under investigation. The bodies of the three victims have been recovered but names had not been released as of Monday afternoon. Caldwell was not available for comment Monday.

Investigators believe the explosion happened about 7 p.m. Saturday and first responders were notified Sunday when a family member went to check on a relative they had not been able to reach since the previous day.

Multiple agencies assisted the Red River County Sheriff's Office including the Bogata Fire Department, the Talco Fire Department, the Paris Fire Department, the Longview Fire Department, the Bogata Police Department, the Texas Department of Public Safety, the State Fire Marshall's, and the Texas Highway Department.

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