State-owned PetroSA on Wednesday said two employees had been killed in an incident at its Mossel Bay gas-to-liquids (GTL) refinery on Tuesday.
The employees, one a mechanical fitter and the other an operator, were working on a vessel when they lost consciousness.
Medical treatment was provided, but the employees could not be resuscitated.
The South African Police Service, Inspector of Mines and the Department of Labour have been informed of the incident and an investigation will be instituted.
“This tragedy greatly saddens us. Our employees are also traumatised by the loss that has afflicted us. More importantly, we wish to extend our condolences to the families of the two colleagues.
“We will fully cooperate with all investigations into the incident. At PetroSA, strict adherence to safety is sacrosanct and we, therefore, wish to quickly get to the bottom of how this tragedy occurred. We must prevent any such occurrences in future,” acting CEO Kholly Zono said.