14 feared dead in Texas refinery blast
(Agencies)
Updated: 2005-03-24 11:48

TEXAS CITY, Texas - A thunderous explosion tore through a BP oil refinery Wednesday, shooting flames and billowing smoke into the sky and showering the area with ash and chunks of charred metal. At least 14 were believed dead and more than 100 were injured.

Workers searched through rubble for survivors or bodies into Wednesday night, several hours after the 1:20 p.m. blast. An undetermined number of workers were unaccounted for; most of the injured suffered broken bones, cuts, concussions and other injuries.

Smoke billows out of a BP oil refinery which was hit by a thunderous explosion in Texas, the US, March 23, 2005. At least 14 were believed dead and more than 100 were injured. [Xinhua]

Refinery manager Don Parus said BP was waiting on an official death toll confirmation from the medical examiner's office, but added, "it's my deep regret that we believe we have 14 losses of life."

The blast left a gaping hole in the earth, mangled nearby offices, and was so powerful that witnesses said it rattled homes as far as five miles away. Cars and trucks in an employee parking lot were coated with soot and debris.

"It was real scary. Have you ever heard the thunder real loud? It was like 10 times that," said plant worker Charles Gregory, who was with several co-workers inside a trailer tank when the floor started rumbling.

The explosion occurred in a part of the plant used to boost the octane level of gasoline. BP spokeswoman Annie Smith said terrorism "is not a primary focus of our investigation."

The plant in Texas City, about 35 miles southeast of Houston, sprawls across 1,200 acres. About 433,000 barrels of crude oil are processed a day, producing 3 percent of the U.S. supply. The plant employs about 1,800 people in Texas City, a city of about 40,000 people.

Part of the sprawling BP operation in Texas City, Texas, is shown in this Sept. 28, 2004, file photo. The plant is BP's largest refinery and the third largest refinery in the U.S. An explosion rocked the oil refinery Wednesday, March 23, 2005, injuring at least 19 workers and sparking a fire that sent black smoke billowing into the sky. [AP]

Gasoline prices could rise slightly because of the explosion because the plant is such a large gas producer. Gasoline futures rose nearly 2 cents in late trading on news of the explosion.

The explosion caused panic in this oil town, with many residents fearing the worst as they awaited word on their friends and family members who work at the plant.

Within minutes of the explosion, officials ordered a "shelter-in-place," meaning residents had to stay inside until authorities could be certain the air was safe. Children were ordered under their desks until the rumbling subsided.

Valerie Perez was among those standing outside the refinery fence, worried about her 18-year-old husband who works there and hadn't contacted her. Perez, who has a 3-month-old baby, said her husband always takes his cell phone to work. On Wednesday, he left it behind.

"I'm nervous," she said, holding back tears.

Wenceslado de la Cerda, a 50-year-old retired firefighter, said the blast shook the ground, rattled windows and knocked ceiling panels to the floor.

"Basically, it was one big boom," he said. "It's a shame that people have to get killed and hurt trying to make a dollar in these plants, but that's part of reality."

The plant and town have dealt with refinery explosions in the past.

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration fined the refinery after two employees were burned to death by superheated water in September.

A Texas city fire truck leaves a BP Oil Refinery in Texas City Wednesday March 23, 2005 after an explosion which injured at least 14 people. [AP]

Another explosion forced the evacuation of the plant for several hours last March. Afterward, OSHA fined the refinery $63,000 for safety violations, including problems with its emergency shutdown system and employee training.

Texas City is the site of the worst industrial accident in U.S. history. In 1947, a fire aboard a ship at the Texas City docks triggered a massive explosion that killed 576 people and left fires burning in the city for days.

"Welcome to life in Texas City," Marion Taylor, 55, said Wednesday as she entered a convenience store shortly after the explosion.

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