Mexican government knew about pipeline leaking fuel before blast that killed dozens
- Locals say people were collecting petrol partly because of shortages they blamed on a government crackdown on fuel theft
Mexico’s new government knew a pipeline was leaking but did not act for hours before a blast killed dozens of people, a minister said on Sunday, increasing scrutiny of a push to stop fuel theft seen as the president’s first crackdown on crime.
State oil firm Pemex did not close the fuel pipe after being warned by the military about four hours before Friday’s blast, because it considered the leak “minimal”, Security Minister Alfonso Durazo told a news conference.
In the hours that followed, the leak grew and as many as 800 people took plastic containers to the gushing duct, filling them up with free fuel in what witnesses described as an almost festive atmosphere.
Relatives of some of the victims claimed fuel shortages caused by President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador’s crackdown plan attracted people to the leak at the Tula-Tuxpan pipeline, a few kilometres from a major refinery.
In December, Lopez Obrador sent soldiers to refineries to help fight organised crime and white-collar fuel theft, while shutting down pipelines tapped by thieves. The measures have reduced theft, but in early January led to shortages and long queues at service stations.