Tanker truck carrying petrol explodes on Mexican highway, killing 3 and injuring 70

The massive blast & fire engulfed several vehicles near the border between the capital's Iztapalapa district and Chalco in neighboring Mexico State.

A man walks next to the charred remains of a trailer, one of the vehicles damaged in a gas tanker explosion on Ignacio Zaragoza Avenue, where multiple individuals sustained burn injuries after the tanker overturned, in Mexico City, Mexico | Reuters

Mexico City: A gas tanker truck overturned, burst into flames and exploded on a highway through southeast Mexico City, killing at least three people and injuring 70, authorities said.

The massive blast and fire engulfed several vehicles near the border between the capital’s Iztapalapa district and Chalco in neighboring Mexico State. Drone footage showed firefighters battling the flames and cooling the charred remains of the tanker and nearby vehicles.

Mexico City Mayor Clara Brugada said on X that 70 people had been injured and three killed. She released a preliminary list of those hospitalized, saying it would be updated as medical assessments continue.

“We will continue to provide medical support to the victims of this incident,” she said.

Emergency personnel responded to the scene, where several people sustained serious burn injuries, according to local officials. The city’s fire department later said the flames had been fully extinguished in and around the overturned tanker trailer, which had been hauling liquefied petroleum gas.

This incident marks the second major accident on highways in Mexico this week.

(Reporting by Lizabeth Diaz and Natalia Siniawski; Editing by Tom Hogue)

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