Mexico Pipeline Blast Death Toll Climbs to More Than 70

MEXICO CITY, LELEMUKU.COM - The death toll from Friday’s fuel pipeline explosion in central Mexico has climbed to 73, the governor of the country’s Hidalgo state said.

Governor Omar Fayad also said Saturday at a news conference in Mexico City that at least 74 others were injured.

A leak and the resulting blast were caused by fuel thieves illegally tapping into a gas pipeline in Hidalgo state, officials said.

Video footage showed the fuel gushing into the air and people collecting gasin buckets, garbage cans and other containers before the explosion.

“I urge the entire population not to be complicit in fuel theft,” Fayad said. “Apart from being illegal, it puts your life and those of your families at risk.”

Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, who has launched a crackdown on fuel theft, called on “the entire government” to assist the people at the site of the explosion.

The government says fuel theft costs the country about $3 billion a year. (VOA)