A huge underwater fire erupted near an oil platform of the Mexican Pemex company in the Gulf of Mexico.
The blaze started at about 4:00 local time (09:00 GMT), 400 meters (over 1,300 feet) of the Ku-Charly oil platform, not far from the shore of the Mexican state of Campeche, the Televisa broadcaster reported on Friday.
The fire was caused by a gas leak from a pipeline at a depth of 78 meters.
Bright orange flames jumping out of water resembling molten lava was dubbed an "eye of fire" on social media due to the blaze's circular shape, as it raged a short distance from the platform, reported Reuters.
Later, Pemex said that by 10:45 local time, the fire had been extinguished as a result of a five-hour operation that involved three firefighting vessels.
The company also noted that the blaze had erupted at 5:15, not 4:00, as it was previously reported.
The company said that no employees of the oil platform were injured, there was also no evacuation from the facility. Also, the production from the project was not affected after the gas leak, it added.
Pemex further said that it had launched an investigation into the incident.
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(With ANI inputs)
