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Cause of Rhode Island Beach Blast Still a Mystery

Christine Olson
/
Creative Commons
The beach walk at Salty Brine beach, Rhode Island.
Kathleen Danise was hurled from her beach chair near the water line and thrown against a rock jetty 10 feet away.

A loud boom that knocked a Rhode Island beachgoer out of her chair is still a mystery days later, leaving investigators and scientists wondering whether it was a bizarre case of nature acting up. 

Among the theories being considered is some kind of seismic event, or a methane explosion.

Saturday's blast at Salty Brine beach in Narragansett was so strong that Kathleen Danise was hurled from her beach chair near the water line and thrown against a rock jetty 10 feet away.  Danise's family says the 60-year-old Waterbury, Connecticut woman suffered two fractured ribs and bruises.

Witnesses say they heard rumbling and a loud bang that sounded like a large firecracker, grenade, or gas explosion.

State Police Colonel Steven G. O'Donnell says there is no physical evidence of an explosion.

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