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At least 14 dead in US refinery blast
(Agencies)
Updated: 2005-03-24 09:53

An explosion rocked a BP oil refinery Wednesday in Texas City, Texas of the United States, killing at least 14 people, injuring more than 100, and sending flames and black smoke billowing into the sky, authorities said.

A Texas city fire truck leaves a BP Oil Refinery in Texas City Wednesday March 23, 2005 after an explosion which killed at least 14 people.[AP]

"It's my deep regret that we believe we have 14 losses of life," site director Don Parus said.

Part of the sprawling BP operation in Texas City, Texas of the USA, is shown in this Sept. 28, 2004, file photo. The plant is BP's largest refinery and the third largest refinery in the U.S. [AP/file]

Workers were searching through rubble for survivors or bodies. The cause of the blast was not immediately known. Most of the injured suffered broken bones, cuts, concussions and other injuries.

The blast left a gapping hole in the earth, mangled nearby offices, and covered cars and trucks in an employee parking lot with ash and chunks of charred metal. Witnesses said the blast was felt as far away as five miles.

Plant worker Charles Gregory said he and several co-workers were inside a trailer getting ready to clean a tank when the floor started rumbling around 1:30 p.m.

"It was real scary," he said. "Have you ever heard the thunder real loud? It was like 10 times that."

The explosion occurred in a part of the plant used to boost the octane level of gasoline. BP spokeswoman Annie Smith said terrorism "is not a primary focus of our investigation."

Federal investigators had been dispatched, said Daniel Horowitz, director of public affairs for the U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board.

Wenceslado de la Cerda, a 50-year-old retired firefighter, said the blast shook the ground, rattled windows and knocked ceiling panels to the floor.

"Basically, it was one big boom," he said. "It's a shame that people have to get killed and hurt trying to make a dollar in these plants, but that's part of reality."

The plant in Texas City, about 35 miles southeast of Houston, sprawls across 1,200 acres with 30 refinery units. About 433,000 barrels of crude oil are processed a day, producing 3 percent of the U.S. supply. The plant employs about 1,800 people.

Gasoline prices could rise slightly because of the explosion. Gasoline futures were unchanged at $1.5749 on the New York Mercantile Exchange but rose nearly 2 cents in late trading on news of the explosion.

A refinery explosion forced the evacuation of the plant for several hours in March. Afterward, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration fined the refinery $63,000 for safety violations, including problems with its emergency shutdown system and employee training.

OSHA also fined the refinery after two employees were burned to death by superheated water in September.

Texas City is the site of the worst industrial accident in U.S. history. In 1947, a fire aboard a ship at the Texas City docks triggered a massive explosion that killed 576 people and left fires burning in the city for days.

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