3 dead, 10 injured in blast at Petrobras platform in Brazil

At least three people were killed, 10 injured and six missing in an explosion at a platform of Brazil's state oil giant Petrobras in the southeast of the country, the company said on Wednesday.

According to a Petrobras statement, the blast occurred Wednesday afternoon and was caused by a gas leak at FPSO Sao Mateus, located 120 km off the coast of Aracruz in Espirito Santo state.

The company said the injured have been sent to hospitals in Vitoria, capital of Espirito Santo state, for treatment.

A total of 74 people worked on the platform, which has a capacity to produce 2.2 million cubic meters of natural gas per day.

A Navy ship and two aircraft have headed to the site to help with the rescue, and an investigation to find out the circumstances of the accident will be launched.

Petrobras expressed its regret about the accident, saying it is giving support to the victims and their families.

The accident is only the latest in a series of problems Petrobras has been facing over the past months. The company has been under extensive Federal Police investigations as a massive corruption scheme has been uncovered.

Last week, Petrobras CEO Graca Foster resigned. By the end of the week, Petrobras announced Aldemir Bendine, former CEO of government-owned bank Banco do Brasil, as her successor. Enditem