International

Oil plant blast in Mexico kills 3, injures many

Published

8 years ago

April 21, 2016

Oil plant blast in Mexico kills 3, injures many

According to Mexican authorities not more than three people were killed and over 100 were injured when an explosion rocked a state-run petrochemical plant in the southern Veracruz state of the country.

The massive blast, which was felt from as far as 10km away, forced the evacuation of nearby schools and businesses.

Reports say huge plume of toxic gray smoke could be seen spewing from the plant known as Pajaritos in the city of Coatzacoalcos in Veracruz state.

The cause of the explosion was not immediately known as considerable damage was recorded at the Petroquimica Mexicana de Vinilo (PMV) plant, jointly owned by Pemex.

Javier Duarte, Veracruz state governor rushed to the scene of the blast in which he described as “a very strong explosion,” where fire crews had the blaze under control.

“People living in the vicinity should remain indoors as the “cloud of chemicals” dissipated, Duarte said.

President Enrique Pena Nieto said on Twitter that the government would help the “affected workers and neighbors of the area”.

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