Pemex confirms death of worker injured in explosion at Oaxaca refinery

A Pemex worker injured in an explosion at Oaxaca refinery in the Port of Salina Cruz died on Tuesday evening while receiving treatment en route to the hospital, Pemex said in a statement on Wednesday.

Mexican newspaper Milenio reported earlier on Wednesday that Pemex employee Victor Hugo Lopez Matus suffered third-degree burns over 80% of his body during the explosion in the cooling tower of the Hidros II plant, according to medical reports.

In its statement, Pemex did not confirm the worker's identity. Pemex did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Late on Monday, Pemex confirmed that a fire broke out in a cooling tower inside the 325,000-barrel-per-day refinery, which it said had been fully extinguished.

The company said six people were injured and taken to a hospital.

Pemex, Mexico's state oil company, was forced to partially shut down the refinery on Monday after the fire, according to a source familiar with the matter and industry monitor IIR Energy.

(Reporting by Anjana Anil in Bengaluru; Editing by Toby Chopra, Louise Heavens, Rod Nickel)

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This story was originally published May 13, 2026 at 11:00 AM.