One dead, several injured after fire on Gulf of Mexico oil platform

At least one person has been killed and several others are injured after a fire broke out on an oil platform in the Gulf of Mexico.

The fire broke out at 4.48pm local time yesterday on the operated Akal-B platform, operated by Mexico’s national state oil company Pemex.

Pemex said it happened in an area where pipelines which handle gas are located. Videos, which could not be verified, were shared of the incident on social media.

Emergency responders arrived by 5.04pm.

At least one worker, for contracting company COTER, has been killed while another is seriously injured in hospital.

Three others from that company are hospitalised with first and second degree burns, while another was discharged.

Pemex said five of its own workers were injured, two of whom have first and second-degree burns, and another in “serious condition” who is being taken to hospital in Mexico city for treatment.

Three other contractors were evaluated in hospital and discharged following the fire on the Gulf of Mexico oil platform.

Pemex said the inspection of the area continues to establish the cause of the fire and the steps needed to re-establish control of the platform.

Akal-B is based in the Campeche Sound, a bight in the southern area of the Gulf of Mexico.

According to news agency Reuters, it produces 200,000 barrels of oil per day.

This is the latest in a series of fatal HSE incidents involving Pemex in recent years, including its Nohoch Alpha platform last year and its Ku-Maloob-Zaap production hub in 2021.

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