Explosion at natural gas facility injures four

AN explosion at MarkWest natural gas processing facility in Pennsylvania, US, has injured four people.

The explosion occurred just after 18:00 local time on 13 December, followed by a fire. The incident happened close to two temporary tanks that were on site for routine maintenance. The fire started in a tank which holds 200 bbl of liquid ethylene glycol and hydrocarbons. Four workers sustained burns and were airlifted to hospital.

The cause of the explosion is currently unknown. The processing plant was not involved in the incident, but has been shut down as a precaution.

MarkWest Energy Partners, owned by Marathon Petroleum, is one of the largest processors of natural gas in the US. It is involved in gathering, processing and transporting natural gas, transporting, fractionating and storing natural gas liquids, and gathering and transporting crude oil.