On 25 August 2012 at 01:11 (05:41 GMT), an explosion caused by the ignition of leaking gas at the Amuay refinery killed 48 people, primarily National Guard troops stationed at the plant, and injured 151 others.

[9] Venezuelan presidential candidate Henrique Capriles Radonski criticized PDVSA management for their poor safety record and forwarded lack of maintenance as a cause of the accident.

President Chávez, who claimed that it was too early to identify the cause, as well as minister Ramírez, said that Capriles did not "know what he's talking about".

[10] Iván Freites, the Secretary-General of the United Federation of Oil Workers, held the government responsible "lack of maintenance and investment" in the industry, considering it the main cause of the explosion.

[11] Freites denounced that since 2011, the union of oil workers had complained about problems with "damaged equipment, lack of spare parts and other unsafe conditions".