Mexican official: 10 of 20 gas explosion victims were minors

MEXICO CITY — The death toll in Tuesday morning’s massive gas truck explosion in the Mexico City suburb of Ecatepec stands at 20 people, 10 of whom were minors, a local official said.

Efren Rojas Avila, the Interior Secretary for the state of Mexico, said in a radio interview that the 10 minors had been in their homes when the driver of a truck hauling double gas tanks apparently lost control of his vehicle around 5:30 a.m. on a freeway that connects Mexico City with the city of Pachuca. One of the gas tanks, Rojas said, broke away from the truck and exploded.

The blast and subsequent fires — which in turn caused a number of home gas tanks to explode — turned the neighborhood into a horrific, smoldering ruin.

Rojas said that in addition to the dead, 33 people were injured, and a total of 45 homes and 16 vehicles were damaged. A crew of hundreds, including police, firefighters and members of the Mexican armed forces, worked to put out the fires, evacuate and rescue the living, and haul away the dead.

According to news reports, the driver, who was among the injured, was being treated at a local hospital, where he was also being detained on suspicion of speeding.

ALSO:

Lingering problems threaten image of a ‘new Brazil’

Gas tanker truck explodes near Mexico City; 19 dead

USAID develops a bad reputation among some foreign leaders