Death toll from tanker truck explosion in Mexico City rises to 25

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MEXICO CITY -The death toll from an explosion involving a tanker truck carrying liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) in Mexico’s capital has climbed to 25, the city’s Health Ministry said on Friday.

The truck, hauling about 50,000 liters of LPG, overturned and slammed into a wall. A rupture vented gas that ignited, set off an explosion and a fire that torched around 30 vehicles.

The fatalities have climbed since Wednesday last week, when the truck burst into flames and exploded while traveling on a busy highway in Iztapalapa, Mexico City’s most populous borough.

“Regarding the Iztapalapa incident, we can confirm that 21 people remain hospitalized, 38 have been discharged, and tragically, 25 people have died,” Mexico City Health Ministry reported.

The incident has stirred frustration over safety conditions on Mexico’s highways, prompting calls for tighter oversight of hazardous cargo transport and road maintenance.

Residents also voiced frustration over broader challenges on the city’s outskirts, where long, difficult commutes are common.

The truck’s driver died earlier this week. 

A two-year-old girl, one of the youngest victims, remains among the injured and was transferred last week to a U.S. hospital in Galveston, Texas. At least 11 other minors injured in the blast were treated locally.

Initial investigations by city authorities suggested that the driver’s excessive speed and lack of skill caused the accident. Investigations are ongoing.

(Reporting by Diego Ore; Writing by Aida Pelaez-Fernandez and Natalia Siniawski, Editing by Richard Chang)