2 dead in Belgian refinery blast

Two people died on Tuesday in an explosion at a refinery in the Belgian city of Antwerp, oil giant Total said. "We regret two fatalities," said a statement from the company. An earlier statement said one dead with two missing. The second release made no reference to any more missing. The French company released no information about the fatalities other than to say the victims were each employees of a sub-contractor. The explosion occurred at about 1400 GMT on the premises of Total Raffinaderij in Antwerpen, the company said. It is Total's biggest refinery and the third largest in Europe, turning 17 million tonnes of crude oil each year into petrol, diesel and kerosene. A company spokesman told AFP the explosion stemmed from a problem in its steam-pipes system, and the statement said operations in this area of the site ground to a halt. "The refinery is evacuated," it added. "At this moment, the installations involved are being secured," it said. Managers stressed that there was "no impact for the environment."