It sounds eerily familiar if you were one of the Gulf Watchers.
Pemex lost a rig today; at least four people died. The fire is still being fought.
An explosion and fire broke out at Petróleos Mexicanosâs Abkatun offshore platform on Wednesday, leading to the evacuation of hundreds of workers and a number of injuries and deaths. PHOTO: DIARIO CAMPECHE HOY/AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE/GETTY IMAGES
MEXICO CITY—The death toll from an explosion and fire at an offshore platform operated by national oil company Petróleos Mexicanos rose to four,as rescue crews battled the blaze and accounted for hundreds of workers, authorities said Wednesday.
Pemex, as the firm is known, said one of the fatalities was a contract worker for the firm Cotemar, while the other three had not yet been identified. The number of injured held at 16, with two in serious condition.
Pemex said it evacuated around 300 workers from the Abkatun platform, where the blaze broke out at a dehydration and pumping unit at 3:40 a.m. local time. The platform is located in the southern Gulf of Mexico, where the bulk of Pemex’s 2.3 million barrels a day of crude oil is produced.