Mexico City, Mexico (CNN) -- A compressor exploded Tuesday morning inside a government-owned oil refinery in northeastern Mexico, forcing the evacuation of the facility's workers, state-own oil company Pemex said.
One worker was killed and two others were in critical condition with burns, Pemex said.
The dead worker was identified as Juan Salvador Sanchez Paz, 32, an operations engineer at the plant. The burn victims are Rodolfo Montemayor Mota, 49, and Blas Jaime Segura Carballo, 40.
Eight others suffered minor injuries, Pemex said.
The refinery is located in the municipality of Cadereyta, in Mexico's Nuevo Leon state. Inaugurated in March 1979, the facility is about 22 miles (36 kilometers) east of Monterrey, the state capital.
The explosion happened at about 9:20 a.m. (10:20 a.m. ET), the company said. The blast occurred because of a leak in a hydrogen recirculation compressor, Pemex said.
A fire that broke out because of the blast was controlled and extinguished, the company said.
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