27 killed in Mexico pipeline explosion
MEXICO CITY. December 20. KAZINFORM Fuel thieves tampering with an oil pipeline could have sparked a deadly blast in central Mexico that flooded streets with fire and killed at least 27 people before dawn on Sunday, officials said; Kazinform refers to China Daily.
The accident occurred just before 6 am (1200 GMT) when oil spilling from a breached pipeline quickly burst into a fireball that flattened homes and wrecked cars in San Martin Texmelucan, a small community in the state of Puebla about 50 miles (75 km) east of Mexico City.
"Several streets were flooded with fuel. With a spark, there was a river of fire," said Valentin Meneses, interior minister of the state of Puebla.
Photos and video from the scene showed burned-out homes, charred vehicles and scorched ground around the moderately populated outskirts of the town.
Pemex, the state oil monopoly that controls the pipeline, said fuel thieves could have touched off the deadly explosion that was quickly controlled after the initial detonation.
"We are not discounting mechanical problems but, on the other hand, we have had problems with illegal taps this year including along that stretch" of pipe, said Pemex chief Juan Jose Suarez.
Fuel theft is rampant in the Pemex network and hundreds of millions of dollars worth of fuel have been stolen in recent years, the company has said.
"President (Felipe) Calderon has ordered an investigation to determine who was responsible and apply the full weight of the law," the president's office stated, pointing to the early indications of an illegal tap; Kazinform cites China Daily.
See www.chinadaily.com.cn for full version