A Petroleos Mexicanos gas platform on the Gulf Coast exploded early Friday morning, and some people are missing, according to President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador.
AMLO, as the president is known, said that Pemex firefighters and the navy were working to put out the blaze. As many as three to four people were unaccounted for, while the remaining personnel had been evacuated. The Mexican state oil company will continue to issue updates on the situation, AMLO said.
Pemex has come under scrutiny in the past for its environmental and safety record after frequent accidents and explosions at its facilities. Fires hit half of its refineries in the second half of May, while the company also reported a spate of accidents at three separate facilities in February, including at its Texas Deer Park plant.
In 2021, a huge gas explosion near its offshore oil platform – dubbed the “eye of fire” – sparked criticism from famed environmental activist Greta Thunberg and U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders. Another offshore platform accident that year resulted in five deaths and Pemex was forced to cut output by a quarter.
Friday’s incident occurred at the Nohoch Alfa platform in the Cantarell complex.
Comments are not available on this story. Read more about why we allow commenting on some stories and not on others.
We believe it's important to offer commenting on certain stories as a benefit to our readers. At its best, our comments sections can be a productive platform for readers to engage with our journalism, offer thoughts on coverage and issues, and drive conversation in a respectful, solutions-based way. It's a form of open discourse that can be useful to our community, public officials, journalists and others.
We do not enable comments on everything — exceptions include most crime stories, and coverage involving personal tragedy or sensitive issues that invite personal attacks instead of thoughtful discussion.
You can read more here about our commenting policy and terms of use. More information is also found on our FAQs.
Show less