just what we do NOT want to hear from our company---------------Blasts on Peruvian boat injure 14, cause oil spill
Lima, Jan 30, 2008 (EFE via COMTEX) -- At least 14 people were hurt Wednesday in explosions on a Peruvian navy vessel that was carrying fuel for U.S.-owned BPZ Energy, RPP radio said, adding that the blasts resulted in a substantial oil spill.
The mayor of the northern town of Zorritos, Tito de Lama, told RPP that the accident took place while the Supe was docked at a makeshift wharf in nearby Acapulco, "from where the injured are being evacuated with severe burns."
"At least three explosions" occurred on the boat, the mayor said, suggesting the cause might have been an electrical short circuit.
Police, firefighters and employees of Texas-based BPZ Energy were on the scene trying to help the injured, RPP reported.
While BPZ declined to confirm news of the accident when contacted by Efe, De Lama said the firm was chartering a plane to ferry the injured to Lima for treatment.
The mayor also demanded more attention to safety on the part of oil companies operating in the vicinity of Zorritos, which lies near the border with Ecuador. EFE
amr-erm/dr
