Deaths in Mexico pipeline blast

An oil pipeline has exploded in central Mexico, creating a "river of fire" and killing 27 people, a local official said. The pipeline maintained by state oil monopoly Petroleos Mexicanos (Pemex) exploded just before 1200 GMT in San Martin Texmelucan, a small community in the state of Puebla about 75km east of Mexico City. "Several streets were flooded with fuel. With a spark, there was a river of fire," Valentin Meneses, the interior minister of the state of Puebla, said. The explosion killed 27 people and injured 32, Meneses said. It also destroyed 32 houses and damaged dozens more, he added. Pemex said the incident was under control and that an illegal fuel tap was suspected as a possible cause. "They lost control because of the high pressure with which the fuel exits the pipeline," Meneses said, adding that the oil began to flow down the city's streets and into a nearby river.