World News | Gas platform explosion near Mexico kills 2 workers, injures 6 and leaves 1 missing, officials say

MEXICO CITY, July 8 (AP) — An explosion and fire on an offshore natural gas platform in the Gulf of Mexico has killed two workers, injured six and left one missing, officials said.

State oil company Petroleos Mexicanos said the disaster occurred on the Nohoch gas transfer platform it was operating on Friday. The dead and missing workers were allegedly employed by a subcontractor. It did not specify for whom the six injured worked.

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A total of 321 workers were evacuated from the platform on seven ships, the company statement said. Photos released by the company showed several fire boats spraying water on the still smoking platform.

Pemex director Octavio Romero said the platform was “completely destroyed,” but several other nearby connected platforms were not on fire.

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The risk of an oil spill appears small, but it is unclear whether the accident will force the company to increase natural gas flaring, a process that spews large amounts of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere.

Platforms like the one that burns receive natural gas from wells and pump it through pipelines to storage tanks or ships. Since some wells produce gas associated with oil, oil production either has to be stopped until somewhere else can be found to process the gas, or the gas has to be flared.

Romero did not comment on the possibility. (Associated Press)

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