TLAHUELILPAN — 2019 · Major Tragedy
The Tlahuelilpan Pipeline Explosion
On 18 January 2019, in the town of Tlahuelilpan in Hidalgo state, hundreds of people gathered in a field to collect fuel gushing from an illegal tap made by fuel thieves in a gasoline pipeline owned by the state oil company Pemex. The leak was reported at 17:04; security forces tried to move the crowd away but were outnumbered and had been told not to confront civilians. The explosion and fire at 19:10 killed at least 137 people and injured dozens more, and took about four hours to extinguish. The disaster brought world attention to 'huachicol', the pipeline fuel theft that has become a major income stream for organised crime in Mexico, and raised questions about the government's efforts against it.
- Date
- 2019
- Place
- Hidalgo, Mexico, Tlahuelilpan, MX
- Category
- Major Tragedy
- Case Status
- Closed
- Coordinates
- 20.1297, -99.2300 ↗
Timeline of Events
- 18 January 2019, 17:04A leak from an illegal tap on the pipeline was reported.
- 18 January 2019, 19:10The explosion tore through the crowd collecting fuel.
- 19 January 2019The president visited; the government took on the injured's costs.
- 2019The death toll rose to at least 137.
Sources
- El País — Al menos 79 muertos en la explosión de una toma clandestina en Hidalgo elpais.com ↗
- El Universal — AMLO llega a Tlahuelilpan, Hidalgo, tras explosión eluniversal.com.mx ↗
- Excélsior — Gobierno pagará gastos de los heridos por explosión en Hidalgo excelsior.com.mx ↗
- El País
- El Universal
- Excélsior
Source grade B: at least one verifiable linked source. If you spot a mistake or something missing, report it with "Suggest a correction" in the app.
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🕯️ This record was prepared with respect, in memory of those who lost their lives.