Reuters AlertNet Lite - Mexico fuel tanker blast kills 6, more feared dead

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Mexico fuel tanker blast kills 6, more feared dead

18 Oct 2006 03:47:33 GMT
Source: Reuters

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Mexican fuel tanker Quetzalcoatl (R) is seen after the blast at Pemex's Pajarito terminal in the city of Coatzacoalcos, Mexico October 17, 2006. An explosion on a fuel tanker in Mexico's Pajaritos petrochemical complex killed at least eight people but did not affect operations at the port, state oil monopoly Pemex said on Tuesday.
REUTERS/STRINGER/MEXICO

(Changes death toll, adds details)

MEXICO CITY, Oct 17 (Reuters) - An explosion on a fuel tanker in Mexico's Pajaritos petrochemical port complex on Tuesday killed six workers and two others were missing, feared dead, state oil monopoly Pemex said.

The blast ripped through the tanker, called Quetzalcoatl, when a spark from maintenance works ignited fuel vapors inside the ship's empty tanks in the Gulf of Mexico port.

Pemex initially confirmed eight deaths but later said it had found only six bodies. Two men who were believed to be on the spot at the time of the explosion had disappeared and were feared dead.

The victims included Pemex workers and contractors from a private company who were repairing the ship. Twelve people were treated in the hospital, two of them with burns.

Pemex said the tanker's hull did not appear to be damaged and it was unlikely to sink.

The Pajaritos complex is in Mexico's Gulf coast state of Veracruz. It produced 529,000 tonnes of petrochemicals in 2005.

"The port operations are not affected, this was an isolated incident and everything is working normally," said Pemex spokesman Alejandro Gonzalez.

U.S tanker brokers said Quetzalcoatl is a 1979 built, 45,000-tonne capacity product tanker owned by the Mexican government and chartered to Pemex. It is mainly used for domestic fuel oil coastal trade. (Additional reporting by Jason Lange and Edgar Ang in New York)

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Last updated:Wed Oct 18 03:50:13 2006