REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, MEXICO CITY -- At least 30 workers were injured on Wednesday when an explosion hit a petrochemical complex of national oil company Pemex in eastern Mexico.

The explosion shook the Pajaritos complex, located in the eastern town of Coatzacoalcos in the eastern state of Veracruz, Governor Javier Duarte said on Twitter.

Pemex, via its Twitter account, said at least 30 workers had been injured, up form an initial three, when the blast hit the Clorados III plant, owned by PMV, a Pemex joint venture with Mexichem.

However, it did not provide details about the conditions of the injured.

The blast was felt within the town and a large column of smoke could be seen rising above the port of Coatzacoalcos from several kilometers away, according to Mexican daily El Universal.

Local emergency officials were evacuating hundreds of people from within the Pajaritos complex and the entire port has been closed off.

Governor Duarte said that the authorities have started public safety measures in nearby towns.

State authorities have recommended that residents of Coatzacoalcos and neighboring towns stay indoors to avoid inhaling or coming into contact with toxic gas while all schools in the zone have been suspended.

Traffic along a section of the Coatzacoalcos-Villahermosa highway was also suspended.

The Clorados III plant suffered a serious explosion on March 11, 1991, killing four people and injuring over 300 people, according to Pemex data.

Pemex and Mexichem began an alliance in 2013, establishing the joint-venture PMV dedicated to the production of vinyl chloride products.

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