Thursday, May 8, 2025

Pipeline explodes in México state, injures 7

Seven people have been reported injured after a state oil company pipeline exploded in México state on Wednesday afternoon.

The blast occurred at the presumed site of an illegal tap on a Pemex gas pipeline in Polotitlán, a municipality in northern México state that borders both Querétaro and Hidalgo.

Emergency personnel
Emergency response team at the site of the explosion. (Secretaría de Salud del Edo de México/Twitter)

Polotitlán Mayor Teresa Sánchez Bárcena said that three of the seven people injured are local Civil Protection personnel who responded to the explosion. The victims suffered burns and were taken to a local hospital, according to municipal authorities.

Video footage showed large flames and thick clouds of black smoke emanating from the pipeline.

Sánchez said in a video message that residents of the communities of El Tesoro, where the explosion occurred, and Celayita had evacuated. Shelters were set up to accommodate those with nowhere to go.

Sánchez said that authorities of all three levels of government responded to the explosion and that the situation was being brought under control.

Explosions along Pemex pipelines due to leaks are fairly common as crime gangs perforate the lines to steal petroleum and gas.

The deadliest incident in recent years was an explosion in January 2019 at a gasoline pipeline in Tlahuelilpan, Hidalgo, that claimed 137 lives.

With reports from El Universal, Milenio and Aristegui Noticias

Have something to say? Paid Subscribers get all access to make & read comments.
a dog lies down by a dry reservoir

Drought conditions affect 46% of Mexico, marking improvement from 2024

0
In May 2024, drought affected 70.76% of Mexico’s territory, with 51% experiencing severe, extreme or exceptional drought.
Ovidio Guzmán López

Son of ‘El Chapo’ to plead guilty in US drug trafficking case

0
The court document indicates that a plea deal will be reached sometime before the 35-year-old Sinaloa Cartel leader's hearing on July 9.
firearms bound for Mexico

In 4 months, US seized nearly 10,000 firearms bound for Mexico

1
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) credited the surge in seizures to a renewed focus on dismantling transnational criminal organizations and cartels.