Mexico City, September 11 (HS): At least three people were killed and more than 70 injured after a gas tanker exploded inside a highway underpass in Iztapalapa, Mexico City, on Wednesday. Authorities confirmed that the blast triggered a massive fire, engulfing nearby vehicles and causing widespread panic in the densely populated borough.

According to The New York Times, Mayor Clara Brugada released a list of burn victims on social media and told reporters that at least 19 of the injured remain in critical condition. Visiting the site, Brugada described the accident as tragic and confirmed that the prosecutor’s office has launched an investigation.

Mexico City’s Interior Minister Pablo Vázquez Camacho said the tanker driver was hospitalized in critical condition but survived the blast. The explosion caused flames to spread rapidly across surrounding vehicles, creating chaos in Iztapalapa, an industrial hub and the capital’s most populated district with about 1.8 million residents.

Eyewitnesses reported horrifying scenes as several people, badly burned and with scorched clothing, staggered aimlessly in pain. By noon, firefighters managed to extinguish the blaze but continued working to contain the gas leak. Judith Rodríguez Vargas, spokesperson for the city’s fire department, said the tanker still contained nearly 20,000 liters (about 5,300 gallons) of fuel, posing further risks.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar