14 dead after BP blast
At least 14 people were killed and more than 100 were injured when a thunderous explosion tore through a BP oil refinery, shooting flames and billowing smoke into the sky and showering the area with ash and chunks of charred metal.
The cause of the explosion at the Texas City refinery was not immediately known.
Workers searched into the night through rubble for survivors or bodies, several hours after the blast yesterday. An undetermined number of workers were unaccounted for; most of the injured suffered broken bones, cuts, concussions and other injuries.
Refinery manager Don Parus said BP was waiting on an official death toll confirmation from the medical examiner’s office, but added: “It’s my deep regret that we believe we have 14 losses of life.”
The blast left a gaping hole in the earth, mangled nearby offices, and was so powerful that witnesses said it rattled homes as far as five miles away. Cars and trucks in an employee car park were coated with soot and debris.
“It was real scary. Have you ever heard the thunder real loud? It was like 10 times that,” said plant worker Charles Gregory, who was with several co-workers inside a trailer tank when the floor started rumbling.
The explosion occurred in a part of the plant used to boost the octane level of petrol. BP spokeswoman Annie Smith said terrorism “is not a primary focus of our investigation”.
The plant, 35 miles south east of Houston, sprawls across 1,200 acres with 30 refinery units. About 433,000 barrels of crude oil are processed a day, producing 3% of the US supply. The plant employs about 1,800 people in Texas City, a city of about 40,000 people.
Fuel prices could rise slightly because of the explosion because the plant is such a large gas producer.
The explosion caused panic in the oil town, with many residents fearing the worst as they awaited word on their friends and family members who worked at the plant.
The plant and town have dealt with refinery explosions in the past.
The US Occupational Safety and Health Administration fined the refinery after two employees were burned to death by superheated water in September.
Another explosion forced the evacuation of the plant for several hours last March. Afterward, OSHA fined the refinery for safety breaches, including problems with its emergency shutdown system and employee training.
Texas City is the site of the worst industrial accident in US history. In 1947, a fire aboard a ship at the Texas City docks triggered a massive explosion that killed 576 people and left fires burning in the city for days.
