Two people were killed and another is missing after a massive fire broke out Friday at the Pemex-operated Nohoch Alfa offshore platform at the Cantarell field in the Gulf of Mexico.
The state-owned oil company said some 321 people out of the 328 working on the platform had been successfully evacuated. At least six people had been injured.
Videos emerging on social media showed the large platform engulfed in flames, with nearby vessels attempting to extinguish the blaze. According to the operator, the part of the platform where the fire started has been completely destroyed, and the source of the fire is being investigated.
Pemex’s facilities have a long history of major industrial accidents. In 2021, a breach in a subsea gas pipeline near one of its platforms caused flames to boil to the surface, resembling a gigantic “eye of fire.” In August of the same year, the E-Ku-A2 platform at its Ku-Maloob-Zaap shallow-water field killed several workers and knocked out about 25% of Mexico’s total oil production.
