Major Oil Rig/Platform Accidents

1911 March 25th. USA, New York City, Triangle Shirt-Waist Factory fire killed 145 young workers

1927 November 14 USA, Pennsylvania, Pittsburgh: a tank filled with 5 million cubic feet of natural gas exploded when a maintenance worker controlled it with an open-flame lamp; 28 people died, hundreds were injured.

1947 February 20 USA, California, Los Angeles, South of Downtown, Pico Blvd./Stanford Ave.: a blast at the O'Connor Electroplating Company destroyed/damaged more than 55 structures in a 300-foot radius, 150 people were injured and 15 persons perished. The incident resulted in the city's first ordinance stipulating regulations for the storage, transportation, production, processing, and use of hazardous chemicals and led to one of the first Hazmat Dictionary's in the U.S.

Comprehensive Report

1982 December 18-21 Venezuela, Caracas: fire in a power-plant, 128 people died

1991 September 3rd. USA, North Carolina, Hamlet, Imperial Food Products chicken-processing plant: 25 worker died in a fire; building was without fire alarms or sprinkler systems; many exit doors were locked to prevent employees from stealing

1993 May 10th. Thailand, near Bangkok: Fire in a doll factory injured 500 people, at least 187 died

1993 November - China, Shenzhen city, across the border from Hong Kong: fire in a toy factory; at least 87 workers died and 57 others were injured.

1997 September 21st. - China, Fujian province, city of Jinjiang: a disgruntled employee set fire at his shoe factory; 32 people died.

1999 December 2nd. Thailand, Laem Chabang, Thai Oil Compamy: a tank farm fire in the refinery 90 miles southeast of Bangkok; 7 people died, 18 were injured, and approximately 4,000 residents had to be evacuated. After an initial explosion that damaged several firefighting vehicles 9 million gallons of oil in 4 tanks went up in flames. It took more than 36 hours to extinguish the blaze with at least 20,000 gallons of foam.

2000 April 22nd. -- China, Shandong province, city of Qingzhou: fire at a chicken processing plant; at least 38 workers died.

2000 June 30th. -- China, Guangdong province: fire in a fireworks factory; at least 36 people died.

2003 January 29th. USA, North Carolina, Kinson: Explosion in the West Pharmaceutical Services plant; 3 people died and more than 20 were injured

2003 May 10th. India, Ludhiana: a fire started after the explosion of a cooking gas cylinder in a first floor residence and spread into the second-floor garment factory; at least 12 people died, more than 70 were injured

2003 July 2nd. USA, Florida, Bonita Springs: A tractor-trailer loaded with fireworks exploded as workers were unloading the materials; 5 people died.

2003 July 4th. USA, Texas, Kilgore: Explosion at a Lamb Entertainment's fireworks warehouse; 3 people died.

2003 July 5th. Turkey, Ankara: a gasoline tanker truck exploded during refueling a fuel the station in a crowded residential neighborhood in the Turkish capital. Around 180 people in the area were injured, including participants of a wedding on the third floor of the building.

2003 August 3rd. -- Pakistan, Northern district of Diamar, village of Ghair: a house fire started by an electrical short circuit quickly spread through the village and reached the home of a construction company; the building housed dynamite used for rock blasting and road construction; in the subsequent explosion at least 49 people died and 132 others were injured; the number of casualties was high because residents of nearby villages in the remote area were helping to extinguish the initial blaze.

Gas Pipeline Explosion in Belgium on July 30, 2004