Rescue workers found 3 more bodies over the weekend in the ruins of the 13 story Pemex Annex...where at least 36 died...from a Thursday afternoon basement explosion.
Officials contend that the blast was an accident...not sabotage...and that no explosives were found at the scene.
One woman is still reported missing.
Pemex officials now say a gas build-up...in the basement...probably methane...caused the explosion.
The exact source of the gas is still unknown...but their latest speculation is that gas leaking from water heaters...accumulated...for at least 7 months.
121 were injured from the blast in the heart of Mexico City.
52 remain hospitalized.
Most of the victims were women.
Firemen say a basement ceiling collapsed...trapping dozens of people.
A shift change was underway at 3:45 pm...when the explosion occurred in a building where 1,700 worked.
Thousands were evacuated from the annex and the neighboring 54-story Pemex Tower... administrative headquarters of Mexico's giant energy monopoly.
Media had speculated that a gas leak caused the blast.
Many survivors claimed they smelled gas before the explosion.
But an unidentified official said there had been a problem with electrical and AC equipment.
An AP reporter described the building as surprisingly decrepit for a major oil company...with slow, often broken, elevators...and dirty worn-out bathrooms.
Read more here: http://www.miamiherald.com/2013/02/01/3211486/25-die-in-mexico-oil-company-office.html#storylink=cpy
But...narcos thugs have attacked some Pemex installations in the past.
Pemex reportedly increased security at all its facilities...while the blast investigation is conducted.
LINK CHANGE/ More Details
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887323926104578277760637753352.html?mod=googlenews_wsj
Posts
