WASHINGTON, 25 March 2005 — A thunderous blast at a BP refinery plant Wednesday killed at least 15 people and injured more than 100. All of the 1,800 oil refinery workers have been accounted for at the 1,200-acre Texas City plant near Houston, Texas.
Standing in front of a white banner reading “Safety First!”, British Petroleum officials told an early morning news conference yesterday they don’t believe there are any more bodies in the plant.
The cause was not immediately known, but BP spokeswoman Annie Smith said terrorism “is not a primary focus of our investigation,” but said federal investigators will conduct a preliminary examination at the site.
As many as 70 others were taken to hospital, with about five in “tough shape,” said refinery manager Don Parus.
The refinery continues to operate, but all non-essential employees have been sent home until Monday, said Parus, who waved off questions about the plant’s output.
The fiery blast shot flames high into the sky, forcing school children to cower under their desks and showered plant grounds with ash and chunks of charred metal. The force of the explosion rattled windows more than five miles away.
Workers searched through rubble for survivors or bodies throughout the night, several hours after the 1:20 pm blast. Most of the injured suffered broken bones, cuts, concussions and other injuries.
Those who died were all contractors for Los Angeles-based field services company J.E. Merritt, Parus said.
He confirmed the death toll at 14 but said further details would come from the medical examiner’s office.
About 433,000 barrels of crude oil are processed a day at the plant, producing 3 percent of the US supply. Other than the unit affected by the blast, the rest of the refinery was running normally, said BP spokesman Hugh Depland.
Gasoline prices are expected to rise slightly because the plant is such a large gas producer. Gasoline futures rose nearly 2 cents in late trading Wednesday on news of the explosion. In afternoon trading yesterday in Europe, the price of unleaded gasoline for April delivery was up 2.8 cents.
The explosion happened in the refinery’s isomerization unit, where the contract employees were working. The isomerization unit is where the octane level of gas is raised. It happened in a part of the plant used to boost the octane level of gasoline.
Texas City has a population of about 40,000. The plant and town have dealt with two other refinery accidents within the last year.
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration fined the refinery nearly $110,000 after two employees were burned to death by superheated water last September.
Another explosion forced the evacuation of the plant for several hours last March. Afterward, OSHA fined the refinery $63,000 for 14 safety violations, including problems with its emergency shutdown system and employee training.
Texas City is the site of the worst industrial accident in US 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,” said Marion Taylor, 55, shortly after the explosion. “I was born here and pretty much, it happens from time to time.”
