MEXICO CITY – An explosion caused by an electrical short-circuit forced a suspension of operations at the Salina Cruz refinery, state-owned Petroleos Mexicanos said Monday.

No one was hurt in the blast and there is no danger to residents near the refinery, Pemex said in a statement.

Though the accident did not damage any equipment, plant managers halted operations as a standard safety measure.

Municipal officials in Salina Cruz complained that as on previous occasions, Pemex did not directly contact them after the incident.

“They have not told us anything. When this happens, we proceed to calm the population,” a spokesman for the emergency services office said when contacted by Efe, adding that residents saw a plume of black smoke over the refinery, which employs 4,000 people.

Salina Cruz, a Gulf coast port in the state of Oaxaca, is home to about 87,000 people. EFE