An explosion, which killed one worker and injured two others at South African chemicals and oil group Sasol's (SOL) Secunda, Mpumalanga.

Preliminary investigations have established that the worker fell down from a 25 million litre gas liquid tank, after splinters from a welding machine fused with a gas chemical content and caused a fire explosion. The three employees were welding a metal staircase leading to the gas chamber when the tank exploded.

Operations were halted at the scene of the incident and inspectors were working around the clock to determine whether the employers had violated the Occupational Health and Safety Act and its regulations.

SASOL TANK MUST BE PUMPED TO FIND EMPLOYEE

Worker overcome by fumes while working on bulk tank dies.

Petroleum company Sasol must pump out 124 million litres of liquefied gas from one of its tanks in Secunda so that police can search for a man who went missing yesterday, police said. The man was welding when one of the towers storing water, oil and tar exploded, a Mpumalanga police spokesperson, said today.

"All the (liquid) must be pumped out of the tank in order for us to be able to search for the person," he said. The police spokesperson also said seven people were slightly injured during the accident which saw the lid of the tank being blown off when the explosion occurred.

The estimated the cost of the damage at the plant was around R50 million.

SASOL EMPLOYEE'S BODY FOUND AFTER EXPLOSION

The body of a man killed in an explosion at a gas liquor storage tank at Sasol's Secunda plant yesterday was found this afternoon, the petroleum giant said. A Sasol spokesperson, said the man from Secunda, apparently died when a fire broke out in the tank at the Phenosolvan West section. The worker was one of eight employees doing maintenance work in area when the incident occurred.

The seven other employees sustained minor injuries. "A full scale investigation is under way by the Department of Labour, police and Sasol, to determine the cause of the accident." The Sasol spokesperson said "two phase areas" were affected during the explosion. He added: "The one area of production which was shut down due to damages is still closed, and the other area will be back in production by midnight tonight."

He said it was not possible to estimate the cost of the damage at the plant. The company did not have to pump out 124 million litres of liquid from one of its tanks, as earlier reported by police, the Sasol spokesperson said.