Fire at Venezuelan Oil Refinery

A hospital in the northeastern state of Anzoategui, Venezuela, was evacuated last week following an explosion and a fire that engulfed an oil refinery located nearby, local media have reported. The IVSS Hospital, located near the Guaraguao Oil Refinery, which is operated by Venezuela's state oil company PDVSA, suffered an explosion that led to a huge fire visible from miles around, RT reported, citing a report by the El Tiempo newspaper. The patients were transferred to other healthcare institutions and an unspecified number of residents were evacuated to safe areas. There has so far been no official version of what caused the explosion. "An investigation into the incident has been ordered," a general manager of the refinery said, according to the Globovision news outlet. A number of photos showing a plume of black smoke have emerged on social media. There have been no reports of casualties or damage to the oil infrastructure.