Number of victims of Skikda refinery increases

The number of the victims of the large explosion which shook on Monday in the largest oil refinery, in Algeria, in the coastal city of Skikda to the east of the capital Algiers, increased to 20 killed and 74 wounded.

The Algerian ministry of the interior said that 43 of the wounded left the hospital after they have received medical treatment, while other five were taken to Annaba hospital, the big industrial city on the Algerian coast, to the east of the capital. Other 26 wounded are still under medical supervision in Skikda. The ministry indicated that the fire which erupted after the explosion was controlled.

In radio statements, the Algerian minister of energy and mines, Shakib Khalil, said that the reasons behind the explosions are still unknown as well as its nature, noting that research operations are still underway to find under the ruins bodies of persons killed by the explosion. The Algerian TV yesterday broadcast shots of the gas liquification unit while it has been totally destroyed.

A previous calculation for the victims said that 13 persons were killed and other 74 wounded.

The refinery belongs to the giant Sontrak oil and gas company, which is owned by the state. It produces 84% of the company's production estimated at 14 million tons annually of oil byproducts exported abroad.