A massive explosion at a Texas oil refinery has killed 14 workers, injured more than 100 and pushed up US oil prices.

The blast at the giant 470,000-barrel-per-day (bpd) BP owned facility, the third-largest in the United States, was isolated to a unit used to upgrade the quality of gasoline, with the rest of the refinery operating normally.

Already jittery over oil supply, the US stock market saw gasoline prices spike to an all-time high above US$1.60 a gallon as dealers feared a cut in supplies from the plant, which produces about 3 percent of the nation's gasoline.

The explosion, whose cause is so far unknown, was so strong it rattled buildings and broke windows for miles around and sent residents of the heavily industrialized town beside Galveston Bay scurrying for cover.

Workers searched through rubble for survivors into Wednesday night, several hours after the 1:20 PM blast. An undetermined number of workers were unaccounted for with most of the injured suffering broken bones, cuts, and concussions.

Refinery manager Don Parus said BP was waiting for an official death toll confirmation from the medical examiner's office, but added, "it is my deep regret that we believe we have 14 losses of life."

The blast left a gaping hole in the earth, mangled nearby offices, and was so powerful that witnesses said it rattled homes as far as eight kilometers away. Cars and trucks in an employee parking lot were coated with soot and debris.

"It was really scary. Have you ever heard the thunder real loud? It was like 10 times that," said plant worker Charles Gregory, who was with several co-workers inside a trailer tank when the floor started rumbling.

The explosion occurred in a part of the plant used to boost the octane level of gasoline. Despite initial fears of an intentional attack on the plant, BP spokeswoman Annie Smith moved to counter the rumors, saying terrorism "is not a primary focus of our investigation."

The plant in Texas City, about 55 kilometers southeast of Houston, sprawls across 480 hectares with 30 refinery units and employs about 1,800 of Texas City's 40,000 people.

Home to several petrochemical and refining plants, the city is no stranger to disaster.

Almost a year ago to the day another blast and fire rocked the same refinery and chemical complex. On March 30, 2004, a large explosion and fire occurred in a gasoline-making unit but resulted in no injuries.

That accident resulted in citations for 14 alleged violations from the US Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). OSHA has now begun an investigation into the latest incident, the company said. BP took over the plant, which first began operations in 1934, when it bought US company Amoco in 1999.

Yesterday BP's US-listed shares closed down 2.4 percent, or US$1.51, lower at US$62.01 a share on the New York Stock Exchange.

(China Daily March 25, 2005)