Minister of Petroleum and Mineral Resources, Tarek El Molla, visited several hospitals in Alexandria in order to check on the workers who were injured during the fire that broke out on the ethylene unit in Sidi Kerir Petrochemicals Company (Sidpec), Egypt Oil&Gas reported.

Following his visit, the minister headed to the accident’s site at Sidpec to check on the course of events and follow-up on the work of the technical and legal committee that was formed to assess the accident.

While checking upon the aftermath of the fire, El Molla pointed out the necessity of the acceleration of the periodical maintenance procedure and the importance of returning to operation on schedule.

El Molla further disclosed that there will be no carelessness when it comes to the safety and security of the facilities, and added that the oil sector is well aware of its responsibilities in this matter and is fully committed to providing all the equipment and trained personnel needed to meet such matters within the framework of the safety and security policies.

According to Al Aham Newspaper, the Egyptian health minister announced that the fire caused 44 injuries. The government provided 25 ambulances that were sent to the fire location immediately once it was reported, Ambulance Authority Chief, Ahmed Al-Ansari, stated.

Two employees were transferred to El-Gomhouriya Hospital with burns covering over 60% of their bodies, while six employees with similar burns are currently in a critical condition at Ras El-Teen hospital, Spokesman of the Ministry of Health, Khaled Meghad, said. In addition, 36 workers with minor to moderate burns were moved to El-Amaria Hospital, Meghad added.