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Incident Report

Subject: MEXICO, PEMEX Pipeline Blast - death toll rises to 28

Date of Email report: Mon 20/12/2010

Report Detail:

MEXICO, PUEBLA STATE, SAN MARTIN TEXMELUCAN, DECEMBER 20 2010. DEADLY BLAST ON MEXICAN OIL PIPELINE 22 DEAD

A firefighter tackles a blaze in San Martin Texmelucan, Mexico The blaze was reportedly brought under control by mid-morning.

At least 22 people have been killed and many others injured in an oil pipeline explosion in central Mexico, local officials say. The blast in Puebla state is thought to have been caused by thieves attempting to steal fuel from the pipline, although this has not been confirmed. A cloud of thick, black smoke could be seen over the site of the blast just after dawn. TV images showed people rushing from their homes for safety, AFP said. 'Rivers of Fire' Puebla State Secretary Valentin Meneses said the explosion injured 32 people as well as destroying 32 houses and damaging scores more in San Martin Texmelucan - a small community about 80km (50 miles) east of Mexico City. "A criminal gang punctured the pipeline of state-owned Pemex, which spilled fuel out of control because of the high degree of pressure. "The streets began to flood, then came a spark and we saw rivers of fire in the streets," he said. Authorities estimated that the resulting spill affected a 5km radius, and that the main blast was followed by four smallers explosions, AP news agency said. The pipeline is operated by state oil monopoly Pemex which said it had shut it down.

MEXICO, PUEBLA STATE, SAN MARTIN TEXMELUCAN, DECEMBER 20 2010. DEATHS IN MEXICO PIPELINE BLAST

Twenty two people were killed and 32 others injured in an explosion at an oil pipeline of state-owned Pemex.

At least 22 people were killed and 32 injured in an explosion on an oil pipeline in central Mexico, local officials say. An oil pipeline has exploded in central Mexico, creating a "river of fire" and killing 22 people, a local official said. The pipeline maintained by state oil monopoly Petroleos Mexicanos (Pemex) exploded just before 1200 GMT in San Martin Texmelucan, a small community in the state of Puebla about 75km east of Mexico City. "Several streets were flooded with fuel. With a spark, there was a river of fire," Valentin Meneses, the interior minister of the state of Puebla, said. The explosion killed 22 people and injured 32, Meneses said. It also destroyed 32 houses and damaged dozens more, he added. Pemex said the incident was under control and that an illegal fuel tap was suspected as a possible cause. "They lost control because of the high pressure with which the fuel exits the pipeline," Meneses said, adding that the oil began to flow down the city's streets and into a nearby river. Civil protection authorities, firefighters and military officers were investigating and trying to ensure there are no more explosions. No one has been detained. Oil thieves in Mexico tap remote pipelines and sometimes build their own pipelines to syphon off hundreds of millions of dollars' worth of oil each year. The explosion occurred in a residential neighbourhood far from major oil refining or transportation facilities, according to local media reports. Photos and video from the scene showed charred vehicles, burned-out homes and scorched ground around the moderately populated outskirts of the town. A cloud of thick, black smoke was seen over the accident site just after dawn.

Additional Documentation:

NDTV Mexico - http://c.moreover.com/click/here.pl?z3851070418&z=1250248784 oil pipeline blast kills 22

France24 MEXICO: - http://c.moreover.com/click/here.pl?z3851038315&z=1250248784 Pipeline blast kills more than 20, destroys dozens of homes

Reuters Mexico - http://c.moreover.com/click/here.pl?z3851029019&z=1250248784 oil pipeline explosion kills 22

BBC - http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-12034038