GUANAJUATO, Mexico.- At 4:00 am, Monday September 5, the “14-inch pipeline Salamanca-Morelia”, at “La Luz” neighborhood in Salamanca, Guanajuato exploded, as a result of people illegally tapping the pipeline to extract oil that is intended to be sold in the black market.
“The explosion triggered flames that rose more than fifteen meters high”, declared Héctor Hernéndez, Director of Civil Protection.
He also said that the fire reached a van which carried three plastic tanks with one thousand liters of fuel each, causing the vehicle to burst in flames too.
The fire reached a van which carried three plastic tanks with one thousand liters of fuel each, causing the vehicle to burst in flames too. (Photo: http://notus.com.mx)
After a call from the Department of Civil Protection, Pemex (Petróleos Mexicanos) secured the pipeline lakeage located at kilometer 1.450 of the Salamanca – Celaya highway.
Immediately, the “Internal Emergency Response Plan” (Plan Interno de Respuesta a Emergencias) was activated, and a specialized team arrived on scene to control the leakage. Salamanca firefighters, the Mexican Army, Civil Protection and Municipal police also arrived onsite and worked together to put out the fire.
Pemex will present a formal complaint to the Public Prosecutor for made appropriate inquiries and determine responsibilities.
Pemex wants to stop these crimes that damage the environment and endanger the community, therefore, they provide citizens the following number 01800 228 96 60 for anonymous complaints nationwide. For the state of Guanajuato, the number is 01800 522 73 63.
Clandestine taps are getting more frequent in Guanajuato.
On the night of July 26, around 500 people from “Colonia Bellavista and Ampliación Bellavista” in Salamanca, Guanajuato, were evacuated by the authorities, due to a gas leakage in the propane Pemex pipeline. Where, according to local newspaper “El Sol del Bajío“, this situation was provoked by a clandestine tap opened to steal natural gas from the pipelines that communicate the distributor of Valtierrilla with the Abasolo community.
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