Unknown individuals tried to tap gasoline from a fuel pipeline. The attempt led to the explosion of the pipeline, killing at least 100 people and wounding many more.

Local media reported that several hundred people were in the vicinity of the pipeline at the time of the explosion. The pipeline in the city of Tlahuelilpan had previously leaked, and local residents were approaching it to take the gasoline with them in buckets or canisters.

The cause of the explosion is still unknown. Video footage showed how panic prevailed at the scene after the explosion. People ran away from the burning fuel line. At the pipeline, flames were blowing up and the fire spread at the scene of the accident. Emergency personnel cordoned off the zone. Mexico's President Andrés Manuel López Obrador called on the government to support the people in the affected region.

Fuel theft is a big problem in Mexico. According to the operating petroleum company Pemex, there is an attempt to illegally tap one of the pipelines every 30 minutes.

Just a few days ago ptj reported on the difficulties surrounding the fuel theft problem. Some vital pipelines in Mexico were shut down due to this challenge, leading to the increased use of guarded fuel tanks.