At least two dead and dozens injured after oil refinery leak

DEER PARK, Texas (AP) — At least two workers at a Houston-area oil refinery were killed Thursday after a hydrogen sulfide leak at the plant, triggering urgent warnings for nearby residents remained inside before authorities later determined the public was not present. hazard.

Nearly three dozen other people were transported to hospitals or treated at the scene, Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez said. Hours after the leak began, Gonzalez said the area was still dangerous for investigators and authorities might not be able to enter until Friday.

The plant is operated by Pemex, Mexico’s state-owned oil company, and located in suburban Deer Park.

Gonzalez said the gas release occurred during work on a flange at the facility, which is part of a cluster of refineries and oil plants that makes Houston the nation’s petrochemical heartland.

Pemex said in a statement that investigations were ongoing and operations had been “proactively halted” at two units in an effort to mitigate the impact.

City officials issued a stay-at-home order, but lifted it hours later after air monitoring showed no risk to the surrounding community, Deer Park Mayor Jerry Mouton said . Hydrogen sulfide is a foul-smelling gas that can be toxic at high levels.

“Other than the odor, we have had no verifiable air monitoring to confirm that anything came out of the facility,” Mouton said.

Television crews showed several ambulances and emergency vehicles at the scene. Gonzalez initially posted on the social platform

The leak prompted Deer Park’s second shelter-in-place order in the span of a few weeks. Last month, a four-day pipeline fire forced surrounding neighborhoods to evacuate.

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