An explosion and fire at a steelworks in Tlaxcala claimed 12 lives on Wednesday morning, the state government said.
The accident occurred at the Simec steelworks in the municipality of Xaloztoc, located northeast of the city of Tlaxcala.
The online news site Qué Poca Madre published footage it said was of the early-morning explosion.🚨 LAMENTABLE ⚠️ LOS TRABAJADORES MURIERON CALC!NADOS 💥🔥🚑
🟡Durante la madrugada de este miércoles, se registró una #explosión en una caldera de la fábrica Simec, ubicada en el municipio de #Xaloztoc, #Tlaxcala, hasta el momento reportan al menos 12 obreros fallecidos,… pic.twitter.com/fuyZENxLZ4
— Qué Poca Madre 🇲🇽 (@QuePocaMadreMex) October 30, 2024
The Tlaxcala government said on social media shortly after 9:30 a.m. that 12 people were killed in the explosion and that one other person was injured. The deceased were working the night shift at the steelworks.
Citing preliminary reports, the state government said that an explosion occurred in a “tower, as the workers call it,” where the steel pouring process takes place.
The steel came into contact with water and that “generated a reaction,” the government said.
Footage posted to social media showed a huge fireball emanating from the steelworks at the moment the explosion occurred.
Municipal, state and federal authorities, including emergency services and the army and navy, responded to reports of the explosion and fire shortly after 3 a.m. Wednesday.
“The fire was controlled, and inspections were carried out to verify there are no more risks,” the Tlaxcala government said.
Tlaxcala Governor Lorena Cuéllar expressed condolences to the families of the victims on the social media platform X on Wednesday morning.Lamento profundamente lo sucedido esta madrugada en la fábrica de acero en San Cosme Xaloztoc. Iré a atender en este momento a las familias de las personas fallecidas, estaré coordinando los esfuerzos logísticos en el lugar al lado de mi secretario de gobierno y la mesa de…
— Lorena Cuéllar (@LorenaCuellar) October 30, 2024
It also said that state authorities, including the Tlaxcala Attorney General’s Office, were investigating to determine the accident’s cause.
Tlaxcala Governor Lorena Cuéllar expressed her “complete solidarity” with the victims and their families.
“I deeply regret what happened this morning at the steelworks in San Cosme Xaloztoc,” she said on X.
Simec is a Mexican company that makes a range of steel products, including structural steel, rebar, steel pipe and steel wire. It has steelworks in several Mexican cities, including Guadalajara and Mexicali. It also is the parent company of Republic Steel in the United States ever since acquiring Republic in 2005.
In 2023, Simec decided to close Republic Steel’s aging steel mills in Canton, Ohio, and Lackawanna, New York, indefinitely and move those operations to its more modern, “state-of-the-art” facilities in Xaloztoc.
With reports from El Economista
How did someone just happen to be filming in that direction – in the dark – when the explosion occurred?