Pemex blast kills four and injures 45

Four people were killed and 45 injured in an explosion on the Abkatun Permanente platform owned by Mexico’s national oil company on Tuesday.

Two seriously injured workers were hospitalised. Around 300 people were evacuated from the platform.

The cause of the explosion remains unknown, although Pemex said in a statement that the fire started in the dehydration and pumping section of the platform. Eight fireboats worked late into Wednesday night to extinguish the flames.

No oil was spilled in the explosion, and the platform, part of the 300,000-barrel-per-day Abkatun-Pol-Chuc offshore oilfield in the Bay of Campeche, remains standing.

The Energy Reform passed last year will allow private investment in the Mexican hydrocarbons market. Pemex, which uses many rigs that are more than 10 years old, is preparing for the competition by replacing its ageing rigs and platforms.

The reform will allow opportunities for partnerships with foreign companies, bringing additional funding into Pemex’s operations. The company provides a third of the government’s tax revenue and reported a loss of $17.7 billion in 2014.