Big Blast at Algeria's Key Refinery, 13 Killed
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Reuters
By Paul de Bendern
ALGIERS (Reuters) - A powerful explosion on Monday at Algeria's largest refinery and key exporter of gas and oil in the Mediterranean port city of Skikda killed 13 workers and caused extensive damage.
At least 74 people were injured in the blast at the petrochemical complex in the industrial zone of Skikda some 310 miles east of the capital Algiers, the state radio said, citing the latest official toll.
"It was a terrible explosion," Energy and Mines Minister Chakib Khelil told state radio at the scene of the blast. "The fire continues but we have managed to limit it."
An official inquiry into what caused the blast had been opened.
Ambulances and rescue services rushed to the scene of the blast, which destroyed all three of the refinery's liquefied natural gas (LNG) units. Late on Monday, rescue workers were still evacuating some of the injured, most of whom suffered head injuries.
"At the moment we're trying to care for the injured and make sure most come out safe and sound," a shaken Khelil said.
He said it was not clear what caused the 6:40 p.m. local time explosion, which shut down Skikda gas exports but did not destroy the oil installations.
OPEC (news - web sites)-member Algeria is a major oil and gas producer and has one of the world's largest natural gas reserves.
The North African country has suffered from accidents at some of its gas facilities in the past year and is modernising its refineries, some of which have outdated equipment.
Khelil said emergency services were working to make sure the fire does not spread and cause further explosions.
BLAST FELT MILES AWAY
"We're still fighting the fires but we have yet to determine the cause of the explosion," a civil defense official in Skikda told Reuters by telephone.
A witness said the blast was felt miles away. "Everyone in the apartment building rushed out, all windows were blown out," another witness, who lived across from the refinery, told state radio.
Skikda is Algeria's largest port and handles the majority of the country's crude, refined and petrochemical products exports. About 12,000 people work at the oil and gas port facilities.
Algeria delivers 60 billion cubic meters per year of gas, mainly to Europe and the United States. Khelil said the LNG units in Skikda would have to be rebuilt entirely.
The port exports 335,000 barrels per day of oil and contributes 84 percent of the 14 million tonnes destined for exports and handled by state-owned energy group Sonatrach.
Algeria is just coming out of a decade-long Islamic insurgency sparked by the cancellation of parliamentary elections in 1992 that a radical political party was set to win. |
