One person is dead and another is in hospital after an explosion at a Nexen oilsands facility near Fort McMurray, Alta.
Nexen issued a statement confirming the incident, which occurred Friday afternoon at its Long Lake facility in Anzac.
“We are deeply saddened to confirm one fatality and a second person is at hospital,” the company said. “All other personnel are accounted for.”
Nexen said the facility has been shut down, and there is no immediate danger to the neighbouring communities or personnel on site.
The provincial energy regulator said in a tweet Friday evening that it is “responding.”
#AER is responding to an incident at Nexen's Long Lake #oilsands facility. More info will be provided as it becomes available.
— AER (@AER_news) January 16, 2016
The Alberta Energy Regulator suspended the licenses of Nexen’s Long Lake pipelines on Aug. 28, after it said the company was not complying with pipeline maintenance and monitoring regulations.
The AER allowed a partial resumption of operations just over a week later.
Nexen is wholly owned by CNOOC Ltd., the Chinese state oil company.
