At least 19 people have been killed and 36 injured, in a gas tanker explosion on a highway in Mexico City, according to the Citizen Safety Department of Mexico State, which surrounds Mexico City.
15 cars and 27 homes were also affected in the blast that rocked a neighbourhood of Ecatepec, north of the Mexican capital, in the early hours of the day, the mayor and a Mexico state official said.
Nearby buildings, cars and trucks were in flames shortly after 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 said Tuesday’s death toll could rise more as emergency workers continued sifting through the charred remains of vehicles and homes built near the highway on the northern edge of the metropolis.
A huge piece of the lorry’s gas tank was blown a hundred metres by the force of the blast, landing atop the wall of a house and cars parked outside.
