An investigation continued for a second day Thursday into an industrial accident at a refinery in Ashdod in which two female employees died, apparently from oxygen deprivation, authorities said.
Examinations at the National Center for Forensic Medicine in Tel Aviv were ongoing more than 24 hours after the incident. Police said they are exploring all possible directions, including whether negligence led to the deaths. No suspects have been arrested.
The scene of the accident at the Ashdod Oil Refinery
(Video: Tomer Shunem Halevy)
Because the forensic review has not been completed, officials have not yet provided the families with an official cause of death.
One of the victims was identified as Nitzan Goichman, 39, a resident of Ashdod, a chemical engineer and mother of three who worked in the refinery’s laboratory. Her brother, Gil Chen, told ynet that she was “a model sister” who brought the family together for holidays and celebrations.
“She was a devoted mother and an even more devoted sister,” he said. “We weren’t familiar with every detail of her job, but she inspected materials entering the country. We still don’t know exactly what happened, but what’s certain is that there was negligence. How do two women go to work and not come home?”
He said the family remains in shock and has not yet set a date for the funeral, as Goichman’s body is still at the forensic institute.
Her mother, Riki Chen, wrote in a Facebook post that her “heart is shattered to pieces” over the “tragic and untimely death” of her daughter, who died while performing her duties in the refinery accident in Ashdod. She described her as a devoted and loving mother to her three children, a beloved wife, a wonderful sister and a cherished daughter.
The name of the second victim, 51, has not yet been cleared for publication.
Fire and rescue crews and police units were dispatched to the scene and ruled out a hazardous materials leak or any danger to the public or other refinery employees. Ariel Even Danan, commander of the Ashdod district fire and rescue station, said at the scene: “This is unequivocally not a hazardous materials incident.”
The refinery said in a statement that a “serious safety incident” occurred in its laboratory Wednesday morning.
“As a result of the incident, and for reasons not yet clarified, two laboratory employees were critically hurt, and after resuscitation efforts at the scene by Magen David Adom teams, their deaths were pronounced,” the company said. It added that it had followed protocol and notified all relevant authorities, and that it was supporting the families during what it described as a difficult time.
The Ashdod refinery spans about 1,000 dunams, roughly 250 acres, employs some 400 workers and produces about 40% of the gasoline and cooking gas consumed in Israel.
The last fatal accident at the facility occurred in January 2013, when two workers, Michael Bliakhov, 35, and Moshe Tal, 38, died after inhaling hydrogen sulfide while repairing a malfunction without protective equipment.
The deaths come a day after the Environmental Protection Ministry announced its intention to fine the refinery 32 million shekels, about $10.25 million, over alleged air pollution violations. The refinery said it would appeal the decision and denied the allegations. It is not the first time the company has been fined for air pollution offenses.
Last month, the Histadrut, Israel’s national labor federation, declared a labor dispute with the refinery, a step that could have allowed workers to strike as early as Thursday.