Pemex blast leaves 33 dead, 120 injured

At least 33 people were killed and around 120 were injured in an explosion at the Mexico City headquarters of state oil company Pemex on Thursday, the federal government has confirmed.

The blast occurred at 3.55 p.m. in the basement of the 54-story Pemex Executive Tower located in the capital’s Anzures neighborhood.

Officials said at least 30 people were trapped in the rubble in the basement. Rescue crews with sniffer dogs were brought in to locate survivors, while around 100 ambulances and three Condor helicopters shipped the wounded to hospital.

President Enrique Peña Nieto and Mexico City Mayor Miguel Angel Mancera arrived at the scene on Thursday evening.

“I am deeply sorry for the deaths of our fellow workers at Pemex. My condolences to their relatives,” Peña Nieto wrote on Twitter. “At the moment, the priority is to help the injured and protect the physical safety of those who work there.”

Pemex confirmed on Twitter that the explosion had taken place in building B2 of its administrative center, with the blast damaging the ground floor and mezzanine.

“The causes of the explosion are still unknown,” the federal government said in a statement promising “a thorough investigation.”