Many Dead in Gas-Tanker Explosion on Highway in Mexico City Suburb Adam Raney - Al Jazeera
go to original May 7, 2013

A gas tanker has crashed and exploded on a busy motorway in Mexico City. Al Jazeera's Adam Raney reports from Mexico City. (AlJazeeraEnglish)

A gas tanker has exploded on a highway in the Mexico City suburb of Ecatepec, killing at least 21 people and injuring nearly three dozen, according to the Citizen Safety Department of Mexico State, which surrounds Mexico City.

The blast rocked a neighbourhood of Ecatepec, north of the Mexican capital, in the early hours of the day, injuring at least 36 people while affecting 15 cars and 27 homes, the mayor and a Mexico state official said.

Nearby buildings, cars and lorries burst into flames when the tanker exploded before sunrise in the community of San Pedro Xalostoc, which is part of the municipality of Ecatepec and is home to a 16th century church.

Officials did not rule out the possibility that the death toll could rise as emergency workers continued sifting through the charred remains of vehicles and homes built near the highway on the northern edge of the metropolis.

The explosion closed the highway between Mexico City and Pachuca.

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