A tragic gas tanker explosion early Tuesday morning struck a quiet Mexican town, and the toll has already been immense. Authorities still do not know what caused the accident.
The blast occurred in Ecatepec, a neighborhood north of the Mexican capital of Mexico city. At around 5 a.m. a tanker exploded, striking a nearby residence and leaving a radius of destruction in the surrounding area.
"A huge piece of the truck's gas tank was blown 50 yards by the force of the blast, landing atop the wall of a house and cars parked outside. Charred wreckage of cars littered the blast site," the AP reports. "Hundreds of police, ambulance drivers, paramedics, soldiers and firefighters gathered at the scene, where a giant plume of smoke rose over the area."
In total, the explosion claimed the lives of at least 20 people and injured many more. Authorities claim that it also affected at least 15 cars and 45 homes. Those who have survived do so with heavy hearts.
"People are very shaken, above all because of the injuries and the large number of dead," said Ecatepec Mayor Pablo Bedolla. "I've spoken with the families of the victims, and they are just sobbing."
In an odd twist of fate, the driver of the tanker was able to escape with his life. He was taken to a local hospital and is expected to survive. The driver has been detained pending an investigation.
The death toll may still be rising as well. The immediate area around the blast was reduced to rubble, and it is possible that there are more dead bodieswaiting to be discovered.
"We have 20 people who lost their lives and 36 who were hospitalized," said Mexico state's top prosecutor Miguel Angel Contreras. "We are not ruling out that more (bodies) could be in the rubble."