At least two people died and 35 others were injured Thursday after an acid gas leak at a refinery of the oil company Petróleos Mexicanos (Pemex) near Houston, Texas, local authorities and the company said Mexican.
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According to the Pemex press release, the accident occurred in the afternoon. Emergency protocols were immediately activated and authorities in Deer Park, where the resort is located, were notified.
“It has been reported that 35 Pemex employees need (medical) attention and the deaths of two people have been confirmed,” Deer Park town hall said on the social network report of two deaths.
Deer Park officials asked the public to stay off the streets, close doors and windows and turn off their air conditioners.
In a post on X, Mexico’s Foreign Ministry said the identity and nationality of the victims were not known.
An investigation to determine the causes of the accident is underway, according to Pemex.
The Deer Park refinery was acquired by the Mexican state-owned company in early 2022 for $596 million.
In recent years, several accidents, some of them fatal, have affected several of the company’s facilities in Mexico.