South Africa's second-largest crude refinery shutdown after blast
South Africa’s second-largest crude oil refinery, the 120,000 barrel per day plant operated by Engen, has been shut down for investigators to determine the cause of the early Friday “fire incident,” the company says.
Engen, which runs the plant in the east coast city of Durban, and is majority owned by Malaysia’s Petronas, said it was working hard to ensure supply of petroleum products to Africa’s most industrialized economy.
The fire broke out following an explosion, emergency responders said, adding that no one was killed or hurt in the blast.
“Nobody was injured” in the “massive” blast, provincial emergency services spokesman Robert Mckenzie said via WhatsApp.
He added that a nearby block of flats also caught fire almost at the same time as the explosion.
Firefighters managed to extinguish most of the flames by mid-morning and bring both fires under control, while paramedics treated seven people for smoke inhalation.
Residents in Wentworth, an impoverished neighborhood in the southern outskirts of the city, were angered by the blast -- the third hazardous incident to occur at the refinery in less than 13 years.
The plant shut down for four months after a similar explosion in 2008.
A fire broke out the previous year when lightning struck a fuel storage tank, although the refinery remained operational after that incident.
The South Durban Community Environmental Alliance (SDCEA) on Friday said it would lay criminal charges against Engen for “cutting corners.”
“It has blown up because the refinery is toxic and they do not maintain (it),” SDCEA coordinator Desmond D’Sa said in a Facebook video after the explosion.
The group is also calling for an independent investigation and air quality monitoring in the area.
Greenpeace said the Wentworth community was regularly exposed to “toxic gases” that caused respiratory diseases and could have “devastating” long-term health impacts.
“Rampant respiratory problems that have afflicted communities in the South Durban Basin have been as a result of Engen’s operations,” said Greenpeace Africa climate and energy campaigner Nhlanhla Sibisi in a statement on Friday.
(Source: Agencies)
Tehran economic conference: Raeisi hails Iran-Africa expansion of ties
UK's Rwanda deportation plan morally disgraceful
UK's Sunak vows to start migrant flights to Rwanda
VIDEO | Press TV's news headlines
VIDEO | American, Israeli rabbis call for ceasefire during protest near Gaza
Iran calls for enhanced defense cooperation with Russia
US campus crackdown: 500 pro-Palestinian protesters arrested
VIDEO | Yemenis rally in Sana'a in solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza
VIDEO | Jordanians march after Friday prayers in support of Palestinians
Far-right Israeli minister Ben-Gvir injured
Germany clears pro-Gaza camp as US-style demos spread across Europe
This makes it easy to access the Press TV website
