1 dead, 2 injured in Petron Bataan Refinery accident

LIMAY, Bataan: A chief mate died while two seamen were injured when the pressurized liquid hose they were handling preparatory to loading Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) from the Petron Bataan Refinery pier to their cargo carrier tanker snapped, swung and hit them, police reported Monday.

Police Officer 2 Melchor Asebias, Limay police investigator, said chief mate Edilberto Beltran, 57, of Catbalogan, Northern Samar died of severe head and body injuries at dawn of Saturday while being treated at the Saint Joseph Hospital in Balanga City.

His body from the Saint Peter mortuary in Balanga were brought to Catbalogan.

Wounded were AB seamen Renato Gaa, 31 and Leo Dulcero, 35; both crews of cargo carrier tanker owned by Shogun Ship Co. Inc., reportedly a Filipino-owned vessel.

The two crews had loosened three of the four bolts of the blind flange preparatory to loading of LPG at the S-3 PBR pier Friday night when the liquid gas cover snapped and struck the leg of the chief mate who was supervising, police said.

The police investigator said that based on preliminary investigation, no deadly chemicals were emitted and that there was no gas poisoning. But he said that investigations are ongoing to pinpoint who are responsible for what happened.

Meanwhile, the Sangguniang Panlalawigan at the Bataan Capitol said it would ask Petron Bataan Refinery officials to shed light on the incident. As usual as in past accidents, local media men tried but failed to get the side of the giant oil refinery.– Ernie B. Esconde, Manila Times