Two workers were injured in an explosion on Thursday, at the Motor Oil Hellas refinery, in Agioi Theodoroi, Corinth, some 70km from Athens.
The explosion was reported at approximately 5 p.m. Both employees were taken to the General Hospital of Corinth following the blast with fractures and burns. One of the injured workers is expected to be transferred to Thriassio Hospital in Attica for further treatment. According to Greek public broadcaster ERT, the incident occurred at Unit 750, which was out of operation for maintenance work on a high-pressure exchanger.
This is the second serious accident reported at the Corinth refinery in the last week. On October 9, two people died during maintenance work at the facility.
The latest explosion comes amid renewed calls for stronger workplace safety measures.
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On Wednesday, the Panhellenic Energy Federation, a trade union organization representing workers in the petroleum, refinery and chemical industries, called a strike following the two deaths at Motor Oil.
“We demand substantive health and safety measures, a full investigation into the accident, and the protection of every worker’s life,” the federation said.
Further details about the cause of Thursday’s explosion have yet to be confirmed.