Refinery fires continue to rage in Venezuela

ROUGH CUT (NO REPORTER NARRATION)

STORY: Fires continued to rage at Venezuela's biggest refinery on Monday after an explosion tore through the facility a day earlier, killing at least 41 people, wounding dozens and halting production in what is the worst accident to hit the OPEC nation's oil industry.

The explosion at the Amuay refinery, one of the four largest in the world, destroyed nearby homes and shattered a National Guard building in the area. Officials said a 10-year-old child was among the dead.

A gas leak caused the explosion and most of those killed were National Guard troops who were providing security for the 645,000 barrel-per-day facility, officials said.

Search teams continued to look for bodies among the rubble and there were reports of scattered looting.

Venezuela has traditionally been a big supplier of fuel to the United States and the Caribbean, but refinery shutdowns have become so common that they rarely affect market prices.