A massive fire has erupted in the Gulf of Mexico after an oil pipeline reportedly ruptured.
Incredible footage shows boats attempting to smother the flames, with the ocean literally on fire – fuelled by oil.
The fire began in an underwater pipeline that connects to a platform at Pemex’s flagship Ku Maloob Zaap oil development, Reuters reports.
It’s the company’s most important project.
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The fire has since been extinguished, state oil company Pemex said.
Pemex, which has a long record of major industrial accidents, said no injuries were reported.
Nitrogen was used to control the fire, which took about five hours, according to reports.
The leak occurred about 150 meters from a drilling platform.
Ku Maloob Zaap is one of Pemex’s most productive oilfields.
It produces about 700,000 barrels of oil equivalent a day, or about 40 per cent of the company’s total output.
The blaze off Mexico’s Yucatan peninsula, resembling molten lava, was dubbed an “eye of fire” on social media. Written content from TB
