TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) -- An 81-year-old Topeka woman has died after being injured in a natural gas explosion at her home.

The Topeka Capital-Journal reports (http://bit.ly/yDmN7J ) that Lucinia Tolliver died Friday. Tolliver had been admitted to The University of Kansas Hospital in Kansas City, Kan., after the explosion Monday.

Topeka Fire Department Investigator Mike Martin said a contractor excavating Monday in a nearby yard hit a natural gas service line and caused it to separate from the main line about 6 feet underground.

Martin said because the breach occurred deep underground, the gas could have entered Tolliver's home via such routes as a pipe, sewer line or cracks in the dirt.