Blast hits Engen oil refinery in South Africa

A spokesman for Engen, which operates the refinery, said he would comment later in a statement, DW reported.

According to Engen's website, the Durban plant has a crude refining capacity of 120,000 barrels per day (bpd). It was not immediately clear if there was any impact on the refinery's production.

Residents say the explosion happened early in the morning as children were preparing for school, local media reports. Eyewitnesses who shared the incident on Twitter said the explosion started shortly after 7 am local time.