Catastrophic Explosion Rocks PDVSA Rig in Venezuela

An explosion at a PDVSA oil rig in Venezuela's Los Llanos left 17 workers injured, two critically. The incident highlights ongoing safety concerns at the aging infrastructure of the state-run oil company, which faces frequent accidents. Response efforts include medical transfers to Colombia and a nearby town.

A devastating explosion at an oil rig operated by Venezuela's state-run company, PDVSA, has left 17 workers injured, with two suffering from severe burns. The accident occurred late Sunday night at the Colven 02 rig in Apure state, according to three sources.

Visual evidence, including videos and images shared on social media, depicted tall flames and thick black smoke enveloping the scene. In the aftermath, some injured workers received medical attention in Colombia, while others were transported to the nearby town of Guasdualito.

Frequent accidents, such as fires and outages, plague PDVSA’s aging infrastructure, which severely impacts oil production and refining operations. The company remains silent on this recent tragedy, but efforts are underway to restart some operations affected by recent deadly earthquakes, including the El Palito refinery.