Woman dead, teen severely burned after pipeline tap explosion

August 29, 2018

Black smoke fills the sky after the pipeline explosion in Querétaro.

An explosion at a Pemex pipeline tap in Querétaro killed the wife of a police officer and seriously injured their 15-year-old daughter yesterday.

The municipal police officer had been assigned to keep the site secure while an investigation was conducted into the tap, which was found August 22 in San Juan del Río.

The two victims were delivering the officer’s lunch when the explosion occurred. The woman died trapped inside a vehicle while her daughter suffered burns to 90% of her body. She was airlifted by helicopter to the city of Querétaro for treatment.

The police officer also suffered burns.

Pemex said the pipeline had been shut down after the tap was discovered.

Municipal police said in a statement that the cause of the explosion had yet to be determined.

Police seemed to believe the pipeline was still pumping fuel. They issued a request to Pemex to shut downimmediately any pipelines under official investigation, “because there is a well-founded risk that they could cause accidents like today’s, that cost a person’s life.”