The deadly fire at the Amuay refinery located west of Caracas in Venezuela that resulted in the death of 39 people and injured several others, continues into the third day.
While state oil company Petroleos de Venezuela’s (PDVSA) officials reported the situation to be under control, two of the storage tanks at the refinery were still aflame, following a gas explosion which occurred on 25 August 1:10 a.m local time shutting down the plant.
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Venezuela Oil Minister Rafael Ramirez was quoted by Bloomberg as saying production will resume within two days after the fires are out.
Venezuela President Hugo Chavez said on state television, "It’s very early to draw any conclusions from the investigation because we haven’t even been able reach the spot where the explosion occurred."
The President has ordered an investigation into the causes of the blast and declared three days of mourning.
More than 200 homes near the refinery were damaged while 18 national guard members and 15 other people died and six bodies were not unidentified yet.
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By GlobalDataAmuay refinery has a capacity to process 645,000 barrels of oil a day.
PDVSA may set up floating storage facilities offshore to compensate for the nine storage tanks, which have been damaged in the fire.
The company said it has ten days of inventory to meet its supply obligations.
Lack of materials was cited as the reason for postponement of seven out of nine planned maintenance programmes for the Amuay refinery.
