Saturday 2 June 2012

Chevron refinery disaster anniversary marked by "scarred" town

Wales Online 2 June 2012

On June 2, 2011 the harsh realities of the oil industry were "starkly observed by people across Wales" as four members of the tight-knit community of Milford Haven lost their lives in Britain's worst refinery disaster for almost four decades.

However, we are still "no closed to learning why a 730 cubic metre storage tank at the Valero (formerly Chevron) oil plant in Rhoscrowther exploded with such devastating effect."

Villagers in nearby Angle and beyond can still vividly remember the bang and the sweeping expanse of thick, black smoke which engulfed everything in its path 12 months ago.

Rob Noble from the Old Point House pub said: “It’s something that anyone who saw or heard it will never forget. The noise actually shook the windows of the pub.”

In Milford Haven resident Jane Philpott can still smell the burning black smog.

“Everyone here will tell you the same,” she said. “The awful stench rising up into the air, and the realisation that nobody near the blast could have survived it.

No comments:

Post a Comment