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The death toll from a powerful explosion in the Mexico City skyscraper complex housing the offices of state oil monopoly Pemex rose to at least 33, company and government officials said Friday.
Twenty men and 12 women were killed, the company said — while 121 were injured, 52 of whom remain in hospital.
Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto arrived at the Pemex administration complex by helicopter Thursday night to supervise rescue operations, Pemex and the news agency La Prensa reported. Hundreds of Mexican military forces were sent to the complex to "preserve security," officials told newspaper El Universal.
Rescue crews had searched most of the area damaged by the blast by Friday afternoon, said Attorney General Jesus Murillo said. But he added that survivors or more victims could still be found in the most unstable parts, which had not yet been fully checked.
Emilio Lozoya Austin, director general of Pemex, which is short for Petrõleos Mexicanos, told Reuters Friday the the company was "working with the best teams in Mexico and from overseas" to find the cause of the explosion.
He was flying home from a business trip to Asia when the blast occured. He said he extended his condolences "to all the families of Pemex workers who have lost their loved ones."
The explosion took place in the basement garage of the auxiliary building, next to the company's 52-floor tower in a busy commercial and residential area, said Eduardo Sánchez, a spokesman for the Interior Ministry.
Stringer/Mexico/Reuters
An injured woman is transferred to a stretcher outside the headquarters of state oil giant Pemex in Mexico City on Thursday.
"They're conducting a tour of the building and the area adjacent to the blast site to verify if there are any still trapped so they can be rescued immediately," Sanchez said Thursday.
A government official, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said preliminary findings suggested the blast was caused by aged boiler exploding in a building next to the tower, Reuters reported.
The plaster ceiling of the basement collapsed, a spokesman for the local emergency agency said. He described conditions in the tower as "delicate."
The main floor and the mezzanine of the auxiliary building were heavily damaged, along with windows as far as three floors up.
A man who was on the ground floor when the explosion occurred told Forum TV that the first casualties were taken to a clinic in the adjacent office tower, where several thousand people work.
"It shook the building, and then we were evacuated," he said.
Company touted safety record
News of the blast came toward the end of the business day — just a few hours after the company had sent two messages on Twitter celebrating how much it had "reduced our accident rate in recent years," announcing that its "safety indicators" exceeded international standards:
Twitter.com
Twitter.com
"An explosion took place in the B2 building of the administrative center," Pemex tweeted just after 4 p.m. local time (5 p.m. ET). "There are injuries and damage on the ground floor and mezzanine," it said, promising further information as it became available.
Pemex initially said the building had been evacuated because of a problem with its electricity supply. It then said there had been an explosion, but it didn't give the cause.
Milenio TV via NBC News
The scene at Pemex headquarters in Mexico City on Thursday after an explosion. There was no official explanation for the blast.
Television images showed people being evacuated — some on office chairs and gurneys. Emergency crews loaded people on stretchers into helicopters and airlifted them out of the area.
"The place shook, we lost power and suddenly there was debris everywhere," Cristian Obele told Milenio news network. "Colleagues were helping us out of the building."
Jose Cuellar, a mechanic who works near the complex, said he was repairing a car when an explosion rocked his entire workshop.
"We went to see and saw people coming out injured," Cuella, 45, told El Universal. "Other people were carrying them."
Edgar Zuniga Jr. and M. Alex Johnson of NBC News, Telemundo and Reuters contributed to this report.
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Why don't we all pray for those people down there, instead of being doomsayers who or what happened. It could very well just a simple boiler like the article says. Things don't always have to be, "the world is ending".
Dear President Obama please send some drones down to Mexico, let's blow up some drug lords to the point of extinction. Just this once. just blow them all up and then, and then let them be done with this crap. If it is drug cartels, something has to be done. It's bad enough the poor are flooding our country, now we'll have the SCARED ones coming over.....
we have plenty of replacements to send back there
Exactly, that is less coming here.
So Pemex didn't shell out to keep the building's infrastructure updated and operational and that cost lives? Good to see big oil is sticking to global industry standards (I'm looking at you BP and Halliburton).
...all these posts about grammar, terrorism, gov't leadership, and narco cartels is rediculous. Are we Americans so easily distracted by... OOH, something shiny!
Dont drink the water.
The real question about border security is how many deportations have we had. Sure we catch 'em but are they sent back? NO. They're considered democratic voters as soon as their shoes hit dry American land and soon-to-be party faithfuls. No real reason to send them back if they're going to have everything handed to them and vote democratic. Si Senor
Ronald Reagan gave "amnesty" to 3 million undocumented workers who entered the country BEFORE 1982, which also included millions more family members. Research it...I'm sure you'll find it - or ask Rush and Hannity...surely they will try to put a SPIN on it.
Embarrassing...isn't it, Conservatives / Republicans? Nevermind...fact-telling don't phase most Conservatives anyway. Lies keep their RUSH-information voters charged. Ummm...umm!
Those immigrants are most likely REPUBLICAN voters, yes? Bet'cha didn't know that - or thought others forgot.
Hypocrits! It's sooooo easy to expose Republicans for the BS they spew. Like taking candy from a kid.
Condolences to all the families and friends affected by this tragedy.
BIG OIL at it's "unregulated" best, I'm sure.
Oh yeah, I'm Independent (never Dem/Rep). Thankfully. Both Parties lie. Unfortunately, I have to vote for one lying Party over the other lying Party. We NEED a THIRD PARTY!
Egypt, Libya, Syria..........now Mexico........
soon coming to DC...
The trouble always start from the TOP....Culture comes from the TOP....
There is no way a boiler did this much damage. Has Mexico learned their deceptive cover up lies from the United States government?
Pemex has constantly been targetted with violent attacks...
However, two dead from a terrorist attack at the U.S. Embassy in Turkey is decidedly a far more politically significant story for MSNBC, isn't it?
It's too bad that the 32 people died, but on a different note the woman in the article picture doesn't look one bit "injured"....
Ban skyscrapers they kill people
There is a way to solve a lot of problems. The best idea is to give Texas to Israel and let them move the country. That would take care of the middle east mess and.........we wouldn't have to worry about southern border invasions. Israel has rockets and tanks, no nonsense with cartels. Illegals would have to find other free lunches in their own country.
Personally, I think it's Bush's fault.
Probably just another program by our DOJ. We had Fast and Furious, maybe this is "Loud and Dangerous".
If they do find it was terrorism I doubt we'll ever hear about it.
But there is a good possibility the boiler blew up due to piss poor matainenance.
Stay tooned.
This is a terrible news and I wish the people of Mexico speedy recovery, and a quick successful investigation into who did it and why. Lot of possibilities when it comes to oil, gas and a large company: disgruntled employee, a competing oil company in the US, Canada, ME anywhere (that wants to sabotage oil prices or Mexico's energy independence), extreme anti-fossil fuel activists, someone at the company top who wants insurance money...the possibilities are endless.
Condolences to the family. Lo siento por su pérdida and Mis mejores deseos.
Best wishes to everyone...speedy recovery.
I am still, just, looking for the facts. I was hoping for comments from someone who had been there.
En Espanol - Hay algas personas quienes han estado alla'? Que paso'?
the explosion at Pemex Tower can be used as an argument to open Pemex to foreign investment, as it can be a catalyst to accelerate the structural reforms government seeks.
British Petroleum is one of the main companies interested in regaining his old "interests", lost in Mexico after the 1938 expropriation, by the Mexican revolutionary, Gen. Lazaro Cardenas del Rio