37 killed in Mexico’s Pemex explosion blamed on gas build-up

An explosion that killed 37 people in Mexico City’s state-owned oil company, Pemex, four days ago was caused by gas build-up.

Mexico’s Attorney General Jesus Murillo Karam said on Monday that an electric spark has triggered gas leak in the power supply room of the 52-story headquarters building of Petroleos Mexicanos last Thursday, resulting in the collapse of at least two floors.

“We were able to determine that the explosion was caused by an accumulation of gas in the basement of the building,” Karam said.

Karam went on to say that the military-led investigation has “confirmed that there are no traces of explosives” or blast craters, ruling out the possibility of the incident being the result of a bomb attack.

The delay over the investigation sparked speculation that Mexico’s gangs or drug cartels had instigated an attack.

Members of the investigative team have yet to explain what caused the gas leak and why Pemex officials failed to detect the leak sooner and prevent the explosion.

Over 120 people were injured in the incident. The death toll rose to 37 after some of the injured died in hospital and rescue crews found more bodies in the rubble.

Pemex has experienced several explosions over the past few years. In September last year, a huge blaze killed 30 people at a Mexican gas plant near the US border. In 2007, a gas-leak explosion killed 21 Pemex workers on an oil platform in the Gulf of Mexico.