Mexico: At least 1 killed, 12 injured in massive cooking gas explosion, claims report

One person died and 12 others sustained severe injuries after a massive explosion caused by an accumulation of gas inside a house in Mexico City on Saturday, said local authorities. According to the city's Secretariat of Comprehensive Risk Management and Civil Protection, the blast took place at around 9:40 am in the Pensil Norte neighbourhood, reported Xinhua. Security officials in large numbers were deployed at the sight and residents were also evacuated from the area.

Rescue personnel also rushed to the site, where trained dogs found the body of the deceased in the rubble. A two-story building was destroyed by the explosion. As many as five of the 12 injured had been hospitalized, confirmed Mayor Claudia Sheinbaum, who also informed about the death, but did not reveal the cause of the blast. However, the city’s civil defence office found that the explosion occurred because of a gas leak in the residential area. in the gas explosion, no other properties were damaged, the tragic incident took place in a low-income neighbourhood known as the Colonia Pensil, on the city’s northern side. Cooking gas cylinders are found in most Mexican homes, which may possibly be a major reason for the gas explosion.

Explosions caused by gas leaks are a frequent incident in Mexico City, as many residential areas have illegal gas connections. Recently, a similar incident took place in the central Mexican city of Puebla, killing at least one person, injuring more than ten people, and damaging over dozen of homes. The rescue officials evacuated around 2000 people residing in the area. If reports are to be believed, the city is losing an average of 4,000 barrels a day of gasoline and diesel to such illegal connections.

Image: Unsplash/ Representative Image
With Inputs from AP