25 dead and over 100 injured after explosion in Mexico

Twenty-five people are reported to be dead and at least 100 injured after an explosion at the headquarters of Mexican oil company Pemex.

Injured workers have been evacuated after the blast at the state-owned firm blew out windows and damaged three floors of the 52-storey skyscraper in Mexico City's commercial centre.

It is believed that as many as 30 people could be trapped in the debris from the explosion, which occurred in the basement of an adjacent administrative building, where thousands of people work.

Television images showed people being carried out of the building on office chairs. Most of them showed injuries likely to have been caused by falling debris.

Pemex - full name Petroleos Mexicanos - said in a tweet that several workers were injured in the blast.

 

The cause of the explosion is as yet unknown, with the Mexican president, Enrique Pena Nieto, urging people not to speculate. Theories ranged from an electrical fire to an air conditioning problem to a possible attack.

Police landed four rescue helicopters to remove the dead or injured. About a dozen tow trucks were furiously moving cars to make more landing room for the helicopters.

President Enrique Pena Nieto said on Twitter: "I profoundly lament the deaths of our fellow workers at Pemex. My condolences to their families."

 

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