At least five people are dead in an explosion at a privately owned gas plant near Puebla, Mexico. At 18:30 local time Monday, a blast at an industrial park in the town of Chachpa killed five people and injured three others the BBC reports. The explosion at the Tomza Gas-owned plant also ignited a fire that engulfed the area surrounding the park. Businesses and homes were evacuated in a 2 mile radius. The explosion forced the closure of the highway that runs from Puebla to Orizaba. Authorities have not yet concluded what caused the explosion.
CNN Mexico cites Jesus Morales Rodriguez, director of the states' Civil Protection, who stated that in his investigations "there are various versions where one can see that there was a mishandling of the loading and handling of pipes. It is one of the hypotheses, but we are awaiting a final conclusion from local experts." The five victims were most likely factory workers, though their bodies are still being identified. In CNN's report, Morales Rodriguez also states that "the gas plant has a responsibility towards those that died and those that were injured - it must bear the cost." The firefighters eventually extinguished the blaze and evacuees were able to return to their homes.
The explosion comes on the back of a series of related incidents that have occurred recently in Mexico. In May this year, 19 people were killed and 36 injured following a gas tanker explosion in Mexico City. July 21 saw another explosion in Tonanitla, near Mexico City. Similarly, an explosion and subsequent fire at a gas plant in Tamaulipas killed 26 people in December last year.
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