Refinery explosion kills one, injures another in Russia
26 January 2021
An explosion and fire at the Ufaorgsintez oil refinery in central Russia killed one worker and injured another on January 25. Russian news sites report that two methane-hydrogen tanks exploded at the Rosneft operated refinery.
According to Russian news agency TASS, the explosion was caused by a breach of safety regulations and that the two methane-hydrogen tanks were on fire. One of the tanks later collapsed. Russia’s Ministry of Emergency Situations said that a 51-year-old worker died in the incident while another was injured.
The Ministry said in a statement that the injured worker was taken to a local hospital in Ufa. It added that 12 fire monitors were supplied to cool adjacent structures at the plant and four fire extinguishing sections were deployed. The fire was extinguished in the early hours of January 26.
A laboratory at the refinery is continuing to monitor the air for harmful substances. In all, 127 people and 44 pieces of equipment attended the scene. The Ufaorgsintez plant specialises in gas processing and oil refining.
The incident happened a few days after another explosion at an oil facility in Russia's Tatarstan region which killed two people and injured another. The incident is reported to have happened at a small oil firm during testing operations.
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