CHACALTIANGUIS, VERACRUZ.- A government pipeline carrying natural gas exploded, caught fire, and sent flames hundreds of feet in the air Thursday, forcing the evacuation of over 250 residents in the Gulf coast state of Veracruz.
The state civil defense office said three men were injured in the fire, and two of them suffered second or third-degree burns.
The state-owned Petroleos Mexicanos company did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The fire occurred near the town of Tuxtilla, near the border between Veracruz and neighboring Oaxaca state.
The office said the pressure in the LP gas pipeline had been turned off. There was no immediate information on the cause of the leak.
Thieves drilling illegal taps into pipelines to steal fuel have caused a number of leaks, explosions, and fires in Mexico in recent years.
Source: El Imparcial
