Mexico’s national oil company Pemex announced Wednesday that an employee who was hurt in a refinery blast has died from his injuries. The worker passed away Tuesday night while being transported to receive medical treatment, according to a company statement.
According to Mexican publication Milenio, the Pemex employee Victor Hugo Lopez Matus sustained severe third-degree burns across 80% of his body when an explosion occurred in the cooling tower at the Hidros II facility, based on medical documentation.
The oil company’s official statement did not verify the worker’s name. Pemex has not yet responded to requests for additional information.
On Monday night, Pemex acknowledged that flames erupted in a cooling tower within the 325,000-barrel-per-day facility located at the Port of Salina Cruz in Oaxaca, stating the blaze had been completely put out.
The corporation reported that six individuals sustained injuries and were transported for hospital care.
Mexico’s state-owned oil enterprise was compelled to temporarily halt operations at the refinery following Monday’s fire incident, based on information from a knowledgeable source and industry tracking service IIR Energy.
