Caracas, June 30 (SANA)At least 17 workers, including two who were seriously injured, were hurt in an explosion at an oil drilling rig operated by Venezuela’s state oil companyPDVSAin the Los Llanos region of centralVenezuela, according to local sources.

Reuters reported that several of the injured were transferred to Colombia for treatment, while others were taken to a hospital in the nearby town of Guasdualito.

Videos and images posted on social media showed flames and thick black smoke billowing from the site of the explosion. Venezuelan authorities and PDVSA have not yet commented on the cause of the blast or the extent of the damage.

Venezuela’s oil industry has faced years of aging infrastructure and underinvestment, contributing to repeated accidents at some facilities as the government seeks to boost crude production and restore output.