Victim in mysterious explosion at Rhode Island beach speaks out

PROVIDENCE, R.I. -- Investigators are still trying to figure out what caused a mysterious explosion on a Rhode Island beach that knocked one woman into rocks and sent her to the hospital.

On Monday, the victim in the blast at Salty Brine Beach in Narragansett spoke out, saying she has no memory of the incident.

"It was a beautiful day," Kathleen Danise said. "The beach was busy. There were a lot of people there. The last thing I remember was reading my book."

The powerful blast seemed to come from underground, launching the 60-year-old Danise into the air and slamming her into the rocks.

"She was like a human cannon, just four feet up, 10 feet out, smacked on her torso," Danise's sister, Laura Demartino, said.

Paramedics carried Danise away on a stretcher with two broken ribs and a concussion. Authorities evacuated the popular beach and called in the bomb squad, but officials were mystified by the cause of the blast.

"We know that it wasn't man made," said Lt. Edward Cabral, a Department of Environmental Management official.

Col. Steven O'Donnell, of the Rhode Island State Police, said the investigation found no evidence that an explosive device caused the loud boom.

"There appears to be some kind of ground disturbance," said Larry Mouradjian, of the Department of Environmental Management. "There's definitely something that happened there."

Some beach goers said they smelled gas after the explosion, but the gas company says there's no line under the beach. And the U.S. Geological Survey told ABC News there was "no seismic activity in that area."

"You aren't going to see an explosion like this from a geologic source without a seismic record," seismologist Lucy Jones said.

But Danise's family still concerned about beach goers' safety.

"We went back there this morning," Demartino said. "There was no caution tape up, and they're having kids climb the rock walls."

Officials concluded there was no public threat and no reason to keep the beach closed. State Department of Environmental Management Director Janet Coit said in a statement late Saturday that Salty Brine beach in Narragansett would reopen Sunday.

"The on-site investigation is now complete, and there is no reason to believe there are any public safety concerns related to today's incident," she said.

The beach was open to the public Monday morning, but Danise said she's not going back any time soon.

"We've been vacationing there for 30 years and that was my favorite location," she said. "Until we know what actually happened, no, no."

(The Associated Press contributed to this report.)