An enormous explosion under a highway overpass in Mexico City killed six people and injured at least 90 more on Wednesday afternoon, Mexican officials said, attributing the blast to a cloud of gas leaking from a truck.
Twenty-one of the injured people were in critical condition on Thursday, according to Myriam Urzúa, the head of civil protection in Mexico City.
Clara Brugada, the city’s mayor, posted a list on social media of those who were hurt when the inferno erupted, several of whom suffered severe burns.
According to the list, some of the injured had burns over more than half of their body. Ms. Brugada added that at least 10 of the victims had already been discharged from the hospital.
“It is a tragic accident. The prosecutor’s office is beginning investigations to determine what happened,” Ms. Brugada said at the scene.
The blast engulfed nearby vehicles in flames and created chaos in Iztapalapa, a working-class community and the capital’s most populous borough, with 1.8 million people.
In a statement, Mexico City prosecutors said that preliminary information indicated that the gas tanker flipped over, causing the leak. The explosion, they said, caused a shock wave that damaged 32 more vehicles.
The truck’s driver was taken to a hospital, according to Pablo Vázquez Camacho, the Mexico City security minister. “He is still alive but in serious condition,” he said.
The driver’s employer, a transportation company called Transportadora Silza, called the accident a “terrible event.” It added in a statement that it would take “our social and legal responsibility for what has happened very seriously.”
Videos of the aftermath showed some people wandering around in pain with charred clothing, as well as neighbors in the area carrying the wounded and trying to help them.
One of the victims, Paula Citlalli, who injured her left hand, told El Gráfico newspaper that she was driving her car when she saw a white fog covering the street.
“I tried to speed up but I couldn’t drive forward because the car in front of me wasn’t moving,” Ms. Citlalli said. “I got so nervous that I couldn’t open the door, and since I couldn’t open the door, I saw the wave of fire coming.”
By late Wednesday afternoon, firefighters had extinguished the fire but were still trying to control the leakage from the gas tanker. It was estimated to contain about 20,000 liters of fuel, or about 5,300 gallons, according to Judith Rodríguez Vargas, a spokeswoman with the capital’s fire department.
Hours later, they had been able to burn the remaining gas and empty the tanker without any further incidents. Ms. Brugada said that authorities had removed the truck from the scene.
Miriam Castillo contributed reporting from Mexico City.
Emiliano Rodríguez Mega is a reporter and researcher for The Times based in Mexico City, covering Mexico, Central America and the Caribbean.
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