2 dead after chemical leak at Pemex refinery in Houston area

Two people have died and 35 were injured after chemicals were released at a Houston-area refinery owned by Mexico’s state oil company.

According to a statement from Petroleos Mexicanos, the Deer Park plant suspended some operations following the leak yesterday. The workers who died were contractors and not Pemex employees, CEO Victor Rodriguez Padilla said in a news conference Friday.

“We were only able to recover the bodies at dawn because the area was still contaminated for a few hours,” Padilla said.

The state-owned company has come under fire in recent years for its poor safety record, including an accident on an offshore platform in 2021 that killed five people and numerous fires across its oil refinery network. In 2022, Pemex acquired the Deer Park plant, a joint venture between the state oil company and Shell Plc.

The refinery shut down at least three plants after the leak, Padilla said. These included a coker, which processes residual oil, and a hydrotreater, which removes sulfur from refined products.

The comments contained herein are generated by readers and do not reflect the views and opinions of Rigzone. All comments are subject to editorial review. Off-topic, inappropriate or offensive comments will be removed.