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Tuesday, 18 September 2012

10 dead; 49 injured in Reynosa Pemex refinery explosion

Ten people died and 49 were injured in an explosion Tuesday at a Pemex refinery on the outskirts of Reynosa.

Mexican firefighters and emergency personnel are working to suppress a fire in the Petroleos Mexicanos refinery on the city’s outskirts.

The fire took place during Tuesday late morning at the Pemex refinery while the catalytic plant Number 1 was undergoing maintenance repairs when for yet unknown reasons a flame sparked and quickly spread through the plant, Pemex officials confirmed.

Reynosa media reports showed workers receiving medical treatment for injuries.

Basic details and photos of flames burning at the refinery quickly spread via social media Tuesday morning.

Mexico's state-owned oil company says the fire is burning at a monitoring station, the Associated Press reported.

The pipeline mainly serves wells in the Burgos basin that produce natural gas.

Pemex said that the station is normally staffed.

Pipelines carrying gasoline and diesel in Mexico are frequently tapped by thieves looking to steal oil products.

Earlier this month, four Pemex workers were injured after a fire broke out at the Madero refinery in Tamaulipas. Another blaze at the same refinery occurred on August 13.

A number of blazes at Pemex facilities have been caused by illegal tapping of pipelines, which have been preyed upon by criminal gangs. Tamaulipas, which borders the United States, has been ravaged by drug gangs in recent years.

Tuesday 18 September 2012

http://www.themonitor.com/articles/fire-63960-refinery-personnel.html

Toll rises to 40 in S. Sudan military boat sinking: army

UBA - South Sudan's military on Monday raised to as many as 40 the death toll from a "friendly fire" incident last week in which it sank one of its own river boats at night.

"The final death toll is between 37 and 40" from the incident last Wednesday in which the army fired at the boat transporting soldiers on the River Nile, military spokesman Philip Aguer told AFP.

Tensions remain high around border areas with Sudan, South Sudan's former civil war foe, and the boat was mistaken for an enemy craft in an area where rebel groups, which the South claims are backed by Khartoum, operate.

Aguer said the army had launched an investigation into the "unfortunate accident" involving a boat that was carrying some 170 soldiers from Melut toward Malakal, in South Sudan's Upper Nile state.

He said the ship's crew had not communicated clearly with South Sudan's army, the SPLA, about its movements.

"The boat left late, there was no information passed to the (river) station ahead, and the SPLA have orders not to travel after 6:00 pm, and to pull in at the nearest station to wait for daylight", he said.

"The commander of the force made a big mistake," Aguer said, adding that he was among those killed.

Aguer said soldiers onshore fired warning shots when the boat failed to stop at a river checkpoint in Lul, and that troops onboard returned fire.

"People in Lul were suspicious and when they fired a warning shot, they (the troops aboard the vessel) fired back," he said.

"Those at the station fired an RPG (rocket propelled grenade) and then things on the boat got very bad" as the vessel tilted and sank, he said.

"Most of the dead bodies are from the drowning, not bullets", he said of the 27 bodies pulled from the water, with at least 10 more presumed dead.

"Just like any other army in the world, we are taking this matter very seriously and investigating," Aguer said. "This is a serious mistake."

Tuesday 18 September 2012

http://www.modernghana.com/news/418240/1/toll-rises-to-40-in-s-sudan-military-boat-sinking-.html

Nine Indians Among 12 Killed in Saudi Bus Accident

Twelve expatriate workers died in a horrific road accident in Jubail 2nd Industrial City on Sunday. Eleven of them were Nasser S. Al-Hajri Corporation employees.

Twenty-five workers received multiple injuries during the accident. They were taken to nearby hospitals for treatment.

Among the dead were nine expatriates from India - four from the south Indian state of Kerala, two each from Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, and one from Andhra Pradesh. Two others were from Nepal.

According to police, a trailer plowed into the bus carrying the workers. Such was the impact of the collision that the two vehicles burst into flames.

Jubail Traffic Police chief Col. Saud Al-Otaibi told Arab News that besides the trailer and the bus, two cars were also caught up in the accident.

Dozens of civil defense units, traffic and security patrols, Royal Commission Industrial Security personnel and teams from the Saudi Red Crescent carried out rescue operations. Some of the bodies were charred beyond recognition.

Nasser S. Al-Hajri Corp. Managing Director Ravi Pillai conveyed his condolences to the relatives of the victims. He visited the injured workers, hospitalized at different hospitals in Jubail, and promised them all help.

The relatives and family members of the victims have been informed of the tragedy by the company’s administration.

Tuesday 18 September 2012

http://www.daijiworld.com/news/news_disp.asp?n_id=150008

14 killed, dozens injured in Rwengo bus accident

Fourteen passengers died and scores injured in a bus accident on Tuesday morning at Malongo, along Masaka-Mbarara road.

Police said the accident occurred in sharp corners of Malongo in Rwengo district about 96 kilometers from Mbarara after a Kisoro-Kampala bound Isuzu bus registration number UAM 937D belonging to Horizon Bus Company swerved off the road, overturned and burst into flames.

Simon Peter Wafana, the Southern Region Police commander, said 13 were burnt dead beyond recognition except the driver of the bus only identified as Mugisha and one woman identified as Carolyn died on arrival to Lyantonde Hospital. Carolyn hails from Kinoni in Rugando Sub-county Mbarara district.

Police said the accident occurred at about 3.00am but the exact number of the dead was still unclear as eye witnesses said it was still difficult to count the dead since many had been burnt to ashes.

At least 45 passengers out of the 75 on board had been rescued from the wreckage and those with injuries were rushed to various hospitals and health centers including Masaka, Lyantonde, Lwengo and Mulago in Kampala.

Police fire fighters arrived at the scene and dowsed the fire that broke out immediately the bus overturned.

The scene was still filled with smoke and stench from the burning bodies as traffic along this route temporarily came to a halt.

Police said the driver of the bus was over speeding, lost control in a sharp corner forcing the vehicle to veer off the road.

Rescuers that included the police and villagers were still removing out burnt bodies.

Police were still working to get details from survivors and establish the exact number of the dead but eye witnesses said the death toll could be higher.

Tuesday 18 September 2012

http://www.newvision.co.ug/news/635340-14-killed--dozens-injured-in-Rwengo-bus-accident.html