Death toll rises to 73 in Mexico pipeline blast
In this image provided by the Secretary of National Defense, soldiers guard in the area near an oil pipeline explosion in Tlahuelilpan, Hidalgo state, Mexico, Friday, Jan. 18, 2019. A huge fire exploded at a pipeline leaking fuel in central Mexico on Friday, killing at least 21 people and badly burning 71 others as locals were collecting the spilling gasoline in buckets and garbage cans, officials said. Officials said the leak was caused by an illegal tap that fuel thieves had drilled into the pipeline in a small town in the state of Hidalgo, about 62 miles (100 kilometers) north of Mexico City. (Secretary of National Defense via AP)
MEXICO, Jan 20, 2019, AP. Hidalgo state Gov. Omar Fayad says the death toll from an explosion at a punctured pipeline in central Mexico has risen to 73, while the number of injured stands at 74, reported the ABC News.
Forensic experts continue to comb the site for remains, many of which were reduced to ashes. At least 54 bodies have yet to be identified. Dozens of family members have gathered at the site hoping to find loved ones since the gusher of gasoline burst into a fireball Friday evening.
President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador says he will reinforce security along the country’s pipeline network, if necessary, but that pipelines remain the most efficient and cost-effective way to distribute fuel.
His administration has been transporting more fuel via trucks over the past three weeks in an attempt to dismantle a sophisticated network of fuel theft that costs state oil company Pemex $3 billion a year. The battle against gas theft has led to long lines at the pump and gasoline scarcity in much of the country.
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