MEXICO CITY, Sept 9 (Reuters) - Two workers died and
another was injured after a fire broke out over the weekend at
the biggest domestic refinery owned and operated by Mexico's
state oil company Pemex, a company official said on Monday.
The fire broke out on Saturday at the Salina Cruz refinery
in southern Oaxaca state, plant manager Arturo Recio told
reporters, explaining that a storm caused the drains filled with
oily waste to overflow into the walkways inside the complex.
A 21-year-old woman and 26-year-old man working for Pemex
contractors died, and another man was hospitalized,
Recio said.
He said that work at the main distillation plant and a
gasoline plant was paused to avoid further damage, but that none
of the other units were affected. Recio added that cleaning and
repairs were underway.
The refinery's crude oil processing capacity stands at
330,000 barrels per day, and it currently runs at about 70% of
its capacity. The refinery was operating normally after the
fire, a Pemex source said.
Local media reported that the incident started in the
refinery's internal courtyards, near some major plants, and that
the fire was put out by company workers and civil protection.