Accidents in refineries around the world

The blast in a Venezuelan oil refinery, on Saturday, August 25, where 42 people died, is the world's most serious explosion in the last 25 years.

Here some similar accidents occurred in other countries during the last 25 years:

September 14, 1997. India. At least 30 people died during a big fire in an oil refinery of the state-owned company Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited (HPCL) in Visakhapatnam (South India). The fire prompted the explosion of different reservoirs. Authorities had to evacuate 150,000 inhabitants of five villages near the refinery.

June 25, 2000. Kuwait. Four workers died and 50 people were injured during a blast provoked by a gas leak in Kuwait main refinery in the south of the capital city.

August 14, 2003. Spain. Seven slain workers was the result of a blast in a Repsol refinery, in Puertollano (center Spain).

October 30, 2004. China. In an oil refinery located in Daqing (northeast China), seven workers died after an explosion, while repairing a pipe containing hydrogen sulfide.

March 23, 2005. United States. In Texas (south United States), an explosion caused a fire in the United States major refinery, hitting several buildings. Fifteen people died and more than 70 were injured after the refinery accident. The refinery is run by the oil British holding BP.

March 21, 2006. Venezuela. Two workers died in a fire while conducting maintenance works in refinery Amuay, run by Pdvsa.

April 3, 2010. United States. Three men and two women died in a fire during an operation of "routine maintenance" in a Tesoro Anacortes refinery near the border with Canada (northeast United States).

September 7, 2010. Mexico. Two people died in a blast, provoked by a leak, in a refinery run by Petróles Mexicanos (Pemex) in Cadereyta, near Monterrey (northeast Mexico)

June 2, 2011. Great Britain. Four workers died in a fire occurred after the blast of an oil refinery run by Chevron, in Wales. According to the police, a storage tank exploded during maintenance works. It is one of Europe's most important refineries and it has 1,400 employees.

July 30, 2011. Mexico. At least two workers died during a blast occurred after the startup of a treatment unit in a refinery run by the state-owned company Pemex in Tula, north Mexico.

August 25, 2012. Venezuela. A blast in refinery Amuay killed at least 43 people and injured more than 80.

Source: AFP