EXPLOSION and fire rock Mexican oil refinery in Veracruz state (VIDEO)
A fire has broken out at a Pemex oil refinery in Minatitlan, a town in the Mexican state of Veracruz. Video from the scene shows a plume of black smoke as the facility is engulfed in flames. No casualties have yet been reported.
The incident occurred at the Petroleos Mexicano (Pemex) refinery, named after former Mexican president Lazaro Cardenas. Black smoke, flames and repeated explosions can be seen and heard in videos that made rounds on social media on Wednesday.
¡Última hora! 🆘 🆘 Explosión en la Torre 5 en la refinería de @Pemex en #Minatitlán#Veracruz#CPM_Veracruzpic.twitter.com/BfTtRjxEna
— CPM Veracruz 🇲🇽 (@CPMVeracruz) April 7, 2021
Mexico's safety, energy and environment regulator ASEA reported that the blaze started in a gasoline transfer pump. The watchdog said that it would inspect the facility in wake of the fire to “verify security conditions.”
#Videos Según empleados de la refinería "Lázaro Cárdenas", en Minatitlán, Veracruz, fueron cinco explosiones consecutivas en un área de almacenamiento de tanques de combustóleo.▶️ https://t.co/Y5cKH8lXvtpic.twitter.com/WqFFGbMeOj
— Proceso (@proceso) April 8, 2021
Explosión en Minatitlán 🙏 pic.twitter.com/HNZivgmT3p
— Fernanda (@FerBetancourt9) April 8, 2021
Incendio en la Refinería Lázaro Cárdenas, en Minatitlán Ver. pic.twitter.com/wWhKhnpNaH
— “Mi Noticias” con Miguel Lopez (@MiguelH99927488) April 8, 2021
One photograph in particular is going viral, showing a Pemex worker scrambling to shut off a valve as a fireball explodes behind him.
Amazing photograph of a @Pemex oil worker closing valves during the fire and explosion inside the Lázaro Cárdenas refinery in #Minatitlán, Veracruz. 📸 unknown author. pic.twitter.com/jGWoS7SIee
— Félix Márquez (@felyxmarquez) April 7, 2021
Around 7:30pm local time, Pemex said the fire appeared to be under control, adding, “Fortunately, it is confirmed that there are no fatalities or serious injuries.”
Also on rt.com Nearly 1,000 evacuated, at least 5 injured as massive blaze ravages Indonesian oil refinery (VIDEOS)The refinery boasts a capacity of up to 285,000 barrels per day.
The mishap at the Mexican refinery comes after a spate of fires rocked a number of oil facilities around the world in recent weeks. A major blaze at an oil refinery in Indonesia’s West Java province late last month sparked a mass evacuation, leaving several people injured. An attack on a Saudi oil terminal north of the Saudi-Yemen border around the same time ravaged a fuel tank at the facility.
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