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By Lyse Comins 
11h ago
Durban – Environmental activists and residents of the South Durban Basin have demanded answers from Engen on the cause of the massive explosion that rocked the area on Friday.
Engen said yesterday that the incident was still under investigation.
South Durban Community Environmental Alliance coordinator Desmond D’Sa said Engen had shown “neighborly misconduct” by failing to address the community regarding the incident, especially those whose health had been compromised. affected. He said the community was mobilizing for massive action against Engen marching to its doors on Wednesday. He said community leaders briefly met with Engen management yesterday and were awaiting a response on when the refinery would hold a meeting with the public.
Residents had to be evacuated from an apartment block in Austerville after an upper floor caught fire, allegedly after a projectile from the blast landed on the roof. Seven refinery workers had to be treated for smoke inhalation after the explosion, which rocked the suburb and could be heard as far away as Westville on Friday morning.
“We warn of this. We want a criminal investigation and Engen administrators, the mayor and DEFF (Department of Environmental Affairs, Forestry and Fisheries) must be held accountable for allowing it to continue operating. Engen must go, ”D’Sa said.
“Engen must be held accountable for pollution and ill health and the danger to the lives and property of our people,” he said.
Neighborhood councilor Aubrey Snyman said that between 25 and 30 residents had been evacuated from the apartment block and Engen had placed them in a boarding house. He said that the pensioner who lived in the apartment that had been destroyed had lost all her documents and that the pension money that she had just withdrawn had been destroyed in the flames.
“The community has been talking since time immemorial that the plant should not be in a residential area; it must be relocated to an area where there are no residents because we never know when the next explosion is going to happen. We are very cautious and the sad thing is that we don’t even have an emergency evacuation plan on the process that we would follow, ”Snyman said.
An Engen spokesperson confirmed yesterday that no injuries had been recorded and that all personnel had been accounted for.
“Engen would like to express its sincere appreciation for the efforts of the emergency services to extinguish the fire safely,” he said.
He said all processes at the refinery had been safely shut down to ensure “the plant remains completely safe while the root cause of the incident is being investigated.”
“Engen is currently evaluating its overall supply and demand position for bulk fuels and implementing immediate mitigations to manage inventory and product supply requirements. The needs of our customers remain our priority and we are confident that the company is working hard to ensure the safe supply of basic petroleum products to the market, ”he said.
“Engen will continue to provide its full cooperation with the authorities and government agencies to conclude the investigation of the incident.”
He added that the refinery adhered to “strict health, safety and environmental protocols and operates in strict compliance with the requirements of its operating license.”
“Our immediate priority continues to be the safety and well-being of the employees and the neighboring community,” he said.
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