Americas News
Three Injured After Gas Barge Explosions in Mobile, Alabama
Three people were injured last night after fires broke out following multiple gas barge explosions in Mobile Bay, Alabama, the U.S. Coast Guard has said.
The three injured were transported to USA Medical Centre for treatment of burns, where one person was listed in critical condition.
The Coast Guard indicated a single barge was responsible for the explosions, which was owned by Kirby Inland Marine (Kirby), while a number of other news outlets including Reuters and the Associated Press said that two barges had been involved in the incident.
The explosions were first reported at 8:40 p.m. yesterday, with Coast Guard saying in today's incident update there had been a total of seven explosions.
The country's Fox news quoted Kirby spokesman Greg Beuerman as saying that the barges were empty and being cleaned at the Oil Recovery Co. facility when the explosions happened.
Beuerman said the barges had been carrying natural gas liquid, which he emphasised was neither liquefied natural gas (LNG) or natural gas.
Firefighters on Thursday had extinguished the blaze, while the cause incident is currently unknown.
Mobile Fire and Rescue Department spokesman Steve Huffman was quoted as saying the indecent had happened "about two football fields in length" away from the cruise ship Carnival Triumph, which had been towed to Mobile in February after an engine-room fire had stranded the vessel in the Gulf of Mexico.
The Port of Mobile is open, and a one nautical mile safety zone has been removed.
