The former India pacer said while it is frustrating to stay away from the game, listening to your body is important. An explosion tore through Venezuela's biggest oil refinery on Saturday, halting the facility's operations in the OPEC nation's worst industrial accident in recent memory. Energy Minister Rafael Ramirez said no production units at the Amuay refinery were affected and that there were no plans to halt exports, a sign that the incident will likely have little impact on fuel prices.
In Pic: A man scavenges through the debris as fire is seen in the affected area after an explosion at Amuay oil refinery in Punto Fijo in the Peninsula of Paraguana. REUTERS Photographs taken shortly after the pre-dawn blast showed wrecked vehicles, flattened fences and giant storage tanks buckling and crumpling as flames lit the night sky.
A National Guard building in the area was shattered and officials said a year-old child was among the dead. A gas leak caused the explosion and many of those killed were National Guard troops who were providing security for the , barrel-per-day facility, Ramirez said, adding that the fire was under control. Officials said 18 of the soldiers were confirmed dead along with 15 civilians, while six bodies still had to be identified. In Pic: A burnt car is seen in the affected area after an explosion at Amuay oil refinery in Punto Fijo, in the Peninsula of Paraguana.
The installation was too close to the operations," Ramirez said in an exclusive telephone interview, adding that production could resume at Amuay within two days at most. In Pic: Rescue workers carry a wounded victim of the explosion in Amuay as they arrive at an emergency hospital in Maracaibo. Amuay has partially shut operations at least twice this year due to a small fire and the failure of a cooling unit.
Those problems have spurred accusations of inept management by the government of President Hugo Chavez, who is running for re-election on October 7. Acrimony over the explosion could spill into an already bitter campaign, but is unlikely to overtake larger political concerns such as crime and the economy.
