A TUPRAS contractor died during a fire suspected of resulting from a malfunction during maintenance and repair at Turkish Petroleum Refineries Corporation (TUPRAS) oil refinery in the Kocaeli province of Izmit in western Turkey, according to a statement by the company Sunday night.
The cause of the fire is suspected to result from a malfunction during maintenance at the crude oil section on Sunday night at the oil refinery.
'An explosion and a fire ripped through the oil tanks in the facility,' the statement read, adding that firemen on the scene brought the fire under control at around 23:45 Turkish local time.
However, despite their efforts, a newly married TUPRAS subcontractor, Mustafa Er, aged 31 lost his life.
In addition, the condition of four staff members who were injured and brought to hospital, has been described as not critical, according to the statement.
The TUPRAS Company operates four oil refineries, with a total annual crude oil processing capacity of 28.1 million tons.
By Gulsen Cagatay
Anadolu Agency
gulsen.cagatay@aa.com.tr