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Disaster on oil rig causes casualties and financial loss. A similar accident happened in 2021 with the same company
In an unfortunate incident that occurred on July 7, 2023, the Nohoch-A oil and gas platform of Petróleos Mexicanos (Pemex), located in the Gulf of Mexico, suffered a catastrophic fire. The tragic balance was two fatalities and thousands of barrels of crude oil damaged, in addition to several injured workers.
Also check out: In 2021, there were also other deaths, injuries and disappearances that marked the explosion of Pemex's E-Ku-A2 oil platform.
Early morning incident and quick emergency action
According to Pemex, the incident in the Gulf of Mexico occurred around 5:25 am. Thanks to the quick activation of the emergency system, four boats were quickly sent to control the flames. Of the five platforms in the Cantarell oil and gas field, located in the Bay of Campeche, only the Nohoch-A platform, the processing center, was affected.
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At the time of the explosion, the platform was housing 328 workers. Of these, 321 were evacuated with the help of seven boats. Pemex General Manager Octavio Romero Oropeza confirmed that three company employees were injured but are out of danger. However, two workers from a private contractor did not survive the incident, five were injured and one has yet to be located.
Human and economic impacts of the disaster
Oropeza explained that of the three wounded at Pemex, two are already at home, while the third, with burns over 35% of his body, was taken to the Hospital Central Sur de Alta Especialidad in Picacho, Mexico City.
Five workers from the contracted company, whose identity was not disclosed, were also injured, but their lives are not in danger. Tragically, two of his co-workers were killed in the fire and one remains missing. Oropeza assured that all those affected will receive all the necessary support from Petróleos Mexicanos and their respective companies.
The incident directly affected Pemex production, compromising thousands of barrels of oil in the Gulf of Mexico. Oropeza emphasized the company's urgency to resume production with well-defined strategies. The fire has now been brought under control, and now the search is on for the root cause of this catastrophic incident.
This is not the first time that Pemex has faced such an occurrence. The incident known as the 'Eye of Fire', which occurred near the company's Ku Maloob Zaap oil exploration in July 2021, also drew media attention. At the time, a gas leak from an underwater pipeline caused the fire, which was brought under control thanks to the quick action of workers, minimizing environmental damage.
Now, the company faces the challenge of recovering from this new blow and assessing its impact on the oil giant's shares.
