At Least 16 Dead, 11 Injured In Refinery Blast

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 CLYDESDALE, CEONA--At least 16 people have been killed and 11 injured in a massive blast at an oil refinery in eastern Ceona late Wednesday night.

The blast happened around 10:00 pm at the Winsden Oil Refinery, about 100 miles north of Mavocke and 85 miles east of Madagen. Refinery officials say the blast appears to have occurred in an oil drum near on the northwest side of the refinery property.

Workers were conducting chemical solvency tests near the blast site at the time of the explosion, and the cause of the blast is still unknown. Investigators have descended on the property, trying to determine the origin of the explosion.

At least seven workers were confirmed dead at the scene. Three died en route to hospitals and six others died at the hospital.

The injured were transported via helicopter and ambulance to hospitals in Madagen and Mavocke.

On Thursday, Ceona Governor Christine Gabler called the explosion a "tragedy of massive proportion," and vowed to investigate the cause to prevent a similar tragedy from happening in the future.

"This was an accident that we never hope to hear of, and we want to make sure that something like this never happens again," Gabler said at a press conference at the capitol in Parkins Thursday afternoon.

Local authorities have several roads shut down near the plant. Damage to homes and businesses has been reported as far as two miles away.

In a statement, Winsden Oil Co. called the blast "a sad day in our company's history," and pledged to "investigate fully" the cause of the incident.

The victims' names have not all been made public yet, as officials try to notify next of kin.