Two confirmed dead as massive explosion tears Cape Town refinery apart

The incident occurred at the plant at approximately 4am on Thursday.

Milnerton Refinery. Image: @Twitter / Merentia

The South African Police Service (SAPS) in the Western Cape confirmed that two people were killed while six people were injured following an explosion at an Astron Energy South Africa plant which occurred in the early hours of Thursday morning.

SAPS said the cause of the explosion remains unknown at this stage and is still the subject of an investigation.

#sapsWC Two people (man and woman) were killed and six other injured in an explosion at the Astron Oil Refinery in Milnerton in the early hours of Thursday, 02 July 2020 at approximately 4:00. The cause of the explosion is still the subject of an investigation. TM pic.twitter.com/jpRAoENpmZ

— SA Police Service 🇿🇦 (@SAPoliceService) July 2, 2020

Astron decided to suspend all work at the Milnerton Refinery plant following the explosion.

The energy company said in a statement that the incident occurred at the plant at approximately 4am and has been contained.

“Astron Energy immediately activated its emergency response procedures and notified the relevant authorities. The resultant fire has been contained and all work on the plant has been suspended,” the company said.

“Our priority is to ensure the safety of all those on-site and further information will be provided as soon as we have confirmed the details.”