Mexico blast kills 32 flagging oil giant’s poor safety record

Rescue workers pulled out more bodies from debris at the headquarters of Mexican state oil giant Pemex, where an explosion that killed at least 32 people has thrown a spotlight back on the state-run company’s poor safety record.

Scenes of confusion and chaos outside the downtown tower block in Mexico City have dealt another blow to Pemex’s image just as Mexico’s new president is seeking to court outside investment for the 75-year-old monopoly.

The blast ripped through a Pemex building next to the 50-storey skyscraper, and chief executive officer Emilio Lozoya said the number of confirmed dead now stood at 32, up from 25 overnight. A further 121 were injured, he added.

It was not clear what caused the mid-afternoon explosion, Lozoya said.

“We are working with the best teams in Mexico and from overseas, we will not speculate,” he told a news conference.

Pemex, both a symbol of Mexican self-sufficiency and a byword for security glitches, oil theft and frequent accidents, has been hamstrung by inefficiency, union corruption and a series of safety failures costing hundreds of lives.

Investigators and rescue teams picked through shattered glass and concrete to look for survivors and discover what caused one of the worst explosions to hit Pemex in recent years.

Officials have been unable to say how many people may still be trapped within the wreckage of the office block. A military paramedic at the scene said there were likely many, and that he expected the death toll to continue increasing.

A government official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said a preliminary line of inquiry suggested a gas boiler had blown up in the building to the side of the main tower that houses administrative offices. However, he stressed nothing had been determined for sure.

Investigators have cordoned off the blast site.