Firefighters will walk the scene on Sunday, October 31, 2021 after a series of explosions in the neighborhood of Puebla, Mexico. Officials have attributed an illegal tap on the gas line to an early morning explosion that killed at least one person. Dozens of people were injured, dozens of homes were destroyed, and about 2,000 were evacuated. (AP Photo / Pablo Spencer)
Mexico City (AP) — An early morning explosion apparently caused by an illegal tap on a gas line rocked the city of central Mexico in Puebla on Sunday, killing at least one person, injuring 11 and dozens of homes. Was damaged, state officials said.
Governor Puebla Miguel Barbosa told authorities to evacuate about 2,000 people living up to a kilometer (about 0.5 miles) of a leak before the first of three explosions, an emergency alert for gas odors and clouds in the area. He said he gave him about 80 minutes, he came just before 3am
“Without evacuation and without coordination, there would have been a significant proportion of tragedy,” the governor said.
Authorities said at least 54 homes were destroyed or damaged in the Xochimehuacan district of Puebla, a city of 1.7 million people. At least two of the injured were in serious condition.
Authorities also temporarily evacuated 37 patients from a nearby hospital, but returned to service hours later after suffering minor damage, including broken windows.
The governor said there were no reports of missing persons, but rescue teams with dogs were looking for more victims.
Javier Gonzalez of the government’s Petroleos Mexicanos said the faucet appeared to have been installed where authorities found a tank truck and 25 gas cylinders. There is a gas distributor across the street.
Officials said 1,400 soldiers, National Guard, police, firefighters and rescue workers were working in the area after the explosion.
The governor vowed to “find out” the person responsible for the explosion.
President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador expressed his condolences to the victims of the blast. Early in his administration, he crucified against thieves who used gas and petrol lines — even shutting down major fuel ducts to get rid of the thieves.
However, official reports indicate that in recent March Mexico lost an average of 4,000 barrels of gasoline and diesel per day at such faucets. These faucets may be protected by a local community that they consider to be a resource.
In 2019, an illegal tap on a petrol line caused an explosion that killed at least 134 people in the town of Tlahuelilpan, north of Mexico City. Townspeople gathered in the fields to fill the containers with gasoline that leaked from the line.
Gas explosion shakes cities in central Mexico, killing at least one | WGN Radio 720
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