Re Explosion at Buncefield

Total S.A.
11 December 2005




            Explosion at the Buncefield Oil Terminal in Great Britain



Paris, December 11, 2005 - Total confirms that at six o'clock this morning
(local time) an explosion occurred at an oil depot belonging to its UK
subsidiary at its Buncefield terminal north of London. The site is part of a
storage complex for petroleum products. Firefighters and police are at the scene
dealing with the incident. Total UK has mobilised response teams to give help
and support to all those affected by the explosion and the fire which followed
it.

According to police and rescue teams, there would have been 36 injuries, most of
them minor and they would have been treated at the local hospital. Four
individuals would have sustained more serious injuries.

The cause of the explosion has not yet been identified.

Total UK is working closely with the police and safety teams, using the 
inter-professional incident response plan.

Further details on the Buncefield terminal are available on   www.total.co.uk

Press contact : Catherine Enck : 33 (6) 89 84 34 22


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Total is the fourth largest oil and gas company in the world with operations in
more than 130 countries. Total's activities cover the whole energy chain of the
petroleum industry: exploration, oil and gas production, refining and marketing,
trading and power generation. The Group is also a major player in chemicals.
Total has more than 111,000 employees worldwide. More information can be found
on the company's website: www.total.com



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