MEXICO CITY, Sept 9 (Askume) – A fire broke out at Mexico’s largest domestic refinery owned by state-owned oil company Pemex over the weekend, killing two workers and injuring another, a company official said on Monday.
Arturo Recio, manager of the Salina Cruz refinery in southern Oaxaca state, told reporters that the fire broke out on Saturday, saying a storm caused a drain full of oily waste to flow into a walkway inside the refinery.
Recio said a 21-year-old woman and a 26-year-old man working for a contractor of Pemex Plc (PEMX.UL) were killed and another person was hospitalised.
He said work at the main distillery and petrol plants had been halted to avoid further damage, but no other units were affected. Cleanup and repairs were ongoing, Recio said.
The refinery has a crude oil processing capacity of 330,000 barrels per day and is currently operating at about 70% of capacity. Pemex sources said the refinery was operating normally after the fire.
Local media reported the incident began in an inner courtyard of the refinery, close to some main plants, and was extinguished by company workers and civil defence personnel.
