MEXICO CITY (Sputnik) – The death toll from an explosion at an oil facility in Mexico’s state of Veracruz has gone up to 24, the country’s state-owned Petroleos Mexicanos (Pemex) company has announced.
"The head of Pemex reports that, unfortunately, the number of deceased workers has risen to 24," Pemex wrote on its official Twitter page.
According to the company, 19 people remain hospitalized, 13 of them are in critical condition.
On Wednesday, Pemex confirmed that three of its workers died in an explosion at its oil facility in Coatzacoalcos, in the state of Veracruz. The oil plant is operated by the Mexichem petrochemical company and is jointly owned with Pemex.
The cause of the explosion is under investigation.
In February, a fire broke out on a Pemex offshore oil platform in the Gulf of Mexico, injuring several workers and leading to the death of two people. In April 2015, four people died and over a dozen were injured after a fire on the same oil rig.
