Death toll in Mexico petrochemical plant blast reaches 28

Baku. 23 April. REPORT.AZ/ Mexican state oil giant Pemex said on Friday that the death toll from a petrochemical plant blast in the southeastern oil hub of Coatzacoalcos had risen to 28, in the latest fatal accident to befall the beleaguered company.

Report informs citing the foreign media, in a statement, Pemex said it had identified 25 bodies and that three more were still unidentified. It added that 18 people remained in hospital. Pemex has said the accident was caused by a leak, but has not fully explained what happened.

The oil firm said it would continue to scour the blast site, but that progress was slow, given the scale of the damage.

The massive explosion took place on Wednesday afternoon at the facility's chlorinate 3 plant in the Gulf state of Veracruz, sending a black cloud of smoke hundreds of meters into the air and giving off a powerful smell of ammonia.

The blast occurred at a vinyl petrochemical plant that is a joint venture between Pemex's petrochemical unit and majority owner Mexican plastic pipe maker Mexichem. Pemex operates the larger petrochemical complex where the plant was located, known as Pajaritos.