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Mexico gasoline pipeline explosion kills 73 and dozens injured

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8 years ago

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Mexico gasoline pipeline explosion kills 73 and dozens injured

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]An explosion and fire in central Mexico killed at least 73 people after hundreds swarmed to the site of an illegal fuel-line tap to gather gasoline amid a government crackdown on fuel theft, officials said.

Hidalgo state governor Omar Fayad announced that the toll had increased to 73 after the discovery of five additional bodies.

The blast – which Fayad said injured 74 people occurred near Tlahuelilpan, a town of 20,000 people about an hour’s drive north of Mexico City.

As soldiers guarded the devastated, still-smoking scene, forensic specialists in white suits worked among the blackened corpses many frozen in the unnatural positions in which they had fallen and grim eyed civilians stepped cautiously along in a desperate search for missing relatives.

The pungent smell of fuel hung in the air. Fragments of burnt clothing were strewn through the charred brush.

When the forensic workers began attempting to load corpses into vans to be transported to funeral homes, some 30 villagers tried to stop them. They demanded their relatives’ bodies, saying funeral homes were too expensive. The bodies were ultimately taken to a morgue, authorities said.

On Friday, when authorities heard that fuel traffickers had punctured the pipeline, an army unit of about 25 soldiers arrived and attempted to block off the area, Defense Secretary Luis Crescencio Sandoval told reporters.

But the soldiers were unable to contain the estimated 700 civilians including entire families who swarmed in to collect the spilled gasoline in jerrycans and buckets, witnesses said.

The armed soldiers had been moved away from the pipeline to avoid any risk of confrontation with the crowd when the blast occurred, some two hours after the pipeline was first breached, Sandoval said.

President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, a leftist who took office only weeks ago, traveled to the scene early Saturday. He did not fault the soldiers, saying, “The attitude of the army was correct. It is not easy to impose order on a crowd.” He vowed to continue fighting the growing problem of fuel theft.

“I am deeply saddened by the suffering in Tlahuelilpan,” Lopez Obrador wrote on Twitter. He called on his “whole government” to extend assistance.

The US Secretary of Homeland Security, Kirstjen Nielsen, tweeted that her department “stands ready to assist the first responders and the Mexican government in any way possible.” Video taken in the aftermath showed screaming people fleeing the scene as an enormous fire lit up the night sky.

“I went just to see what was happening, and then the explosion happened. I rushed to help people,” Fernando Garcia, 47, told AFP. “I had to claw through pieces of people who had already been burned to bits.”

The tragedy comes during a highly publicized federal government war on fuel theft, a problem that cost Mexico an estimated $3 billion in 2017.

Acting attorney general Alejandro Gertz described the latest disaster as “intentional” because “someone caused that leak. And the fire was a consequence of the crime.” But he acknowledged that investigators would be hampered by the fact that “the people closest to the explosion died.”

Federal and state fire fighters and ambulances run by state oil company Pemex rushed to help victims with burns and take the injured to hospitals. Local medical facilities struggled to cope with the flood of arriving victims, said AFP correspondents at the scene.

The fire had been brought under control by around midnight Friday, the security ministry said. Pemex said it was also responding to another fire at a botched pipeline tap in the central state of Queretaro, though in that case there were no victims.

Mexico is regularly rocked by deadly explosions at illegal pipeline taps, a dangerous but lucrative business whose players include powerful drug cartels and corrupt Pemex insiders.

Fayad said that two hours after the pipeline was punctured, “we were informed that there had been an explosion” and the flames “were consuming everything around.” About 15 oil pipeline explosions and fires causing more than 50 fatalities each have occurred around the world since 1993.

Most were in Nigeria, where in 1998 more than 1,000 people died in such a blast. A fire after a pipeline rupture in Brazil killed more than 500 people in 1984. The tragedy comes as anti-corruption crusader Lopez Obrador presses implementation of a controversial fuel theft prevention plan.

The government has shut off major pipelines until they can be fully secured and deployed the army to guard Pemex production facilities. But the strategy to fight the problem led to severe gasoline and diesel shortages across much of the country, including Mexico City, forcing people to queue for hours  sometimes days to fill up their vehicles.

The president, who took office on December 1, has vowed to keep up the fight and asked Mexicans to be patient. At the scene, some locals blamed the shortages for the tragedy.

“A lot of people arrived with their jerrycans because of the gasoline shortages we’ve had,” said Martin Trejo, 55, who was searching for his son, one of those who had gone to collect the leaking fuel.

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Priya Ghanghas, Sakshi Chaudhary script history as India win four boxing golds at Commonwealth Games 2026

Priya Ghanghas and Sakshi Chaudhary powered India to a record four boxing gold medals at the Commonwealth Games 2026, taking the country’s medal tally to 32.

Published

2 days ago

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August 1, 2026

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India continued its impressive campaign at the Commonwealth Games 2026 on Day 10, creating history in boxing as Priya Ghanghas and Sakshi Chaudhary added two more gold medals to the country’s tally. With four boxing gold medals already secured, India achieved its best-ever boxing performance in a single edition of the Commonwealth Games.

Priya Ghanghas defeated Canada’s Marie Al-Ahmadieh by a 4-1 split verdict in the women’s 60kg final. After conceding the opening round, the Indian boxer fought back strongly to win the next two rounds and seal the gold medal.

Earlier, Sakshi Chaudhary produced a commanding display to defeat England’s Ruby White by unanimous decision in the women’s 51kg final, earning India’s third boxing gold of the Games.

Four boxing champions script history

Priya Ghanghas and Sakshi Chaudhary joined Preeti Pawar and Jaismine Lamboria on the list of Indian boxing gold medallists at the Glasgow Games.

According to the live updates, India’s four boxing gold medals are the most the country has won in the sport at any edition of the Commonwealth Games.

The boxing campaign is still not over, with five more Indian boxers scheduled to compete in gold medal bouts later on Day 10.

India’s medal tally rises to 32

India’s medal tally climbed to 32 medals, comprising 10 gold, 15 silver and seven bronze.

Apart from boxing, India also celebrated a one-two finish in the men’s F57 shot put event. Soman Rana clinched the gold medal with a throw of 13.40 metres, while Shubham Juyal secured silver with 13.28 metres.

In athletics, Praveen Chithravel claimed silver in the men’s triple jump, while Selva Prabhu Thirumaran won bronze.

Judoka Unnati Sharma also added a bronze medal after defeating South Africa’s Skye Knoester by Ippon in the women’s -63kg event.

India eye more medals on Day 10

India’s medal tally could grow further as several athletes remain in contention later on Day 10.

Boxers Arundhati Choudhary, Lovlina Borgohain, Sachin Siwach, Ankush Panghal and Narender Berwal are all scheduled to compete in their respective finals. Harsh Tokas is also set to fight for bronze in the men’s -81kg judo event, while Indian athletes will feature in the men’s pole vault, men’s 5000m and mixed 4x400m relay finals.

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Spain’s Ceuta migrant crisis: 34 dead as 60,000 cross from Morocco in 24 hours

At least 34 migrants have died and around 60,000 crossed into Spain’s Ceuta from Morocco within 24 hours, prompting a major security response and diplomatic reactions across Europe.

Published

3 days ago

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July 31, 2026

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At least 34 migrants have died while attempting to cross from Morocco into the Spanish enclave of Ceuta, as Spain faces one of its biggest border challenges in recent years.

According to Ceuta regional president Juan Jesus Vivas, around 60,000 migrants entered the Spanish territory from Morocco within the past 24 hours. The situation has escalated rapidly since Thursday, with security personnel confronting large groups attempting to enter the enclave.

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez travelled to Ceuta on Friday, where he condemned the breach of the border and described the incident as a violation of Spain’s territorial integrity.

Sanchez blamed human smuggling networks for encouraging dangerous migration attempts, saying traffickers exploit vulnerable people and put their lives at risk.

Spain says many migrants have already returned

Spain’s Interior Ministry said nearly half of those who crossed into Ceuta have already returned to Morocco. The ministry also released footage showing people walking back through a border gate separating the two territories.

To strengthen border security, the Spanish government has deployed additional troops, police personnel, divers, drones and boats in and around Ceuta.

Videos circulating on Thursday showed thousands of migrants crossing into the Spanish enclave, highlighting the scale of the sudden influx.

Crisis sparks diplomatic tensions across Europe

The large-scale movement of migrants has triggered diplomatic reactions across Europe. Germany, Italy and Finland criticised the situation, while France tightened border checks with Spain.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen described the scenes in Ceuta as unacceptable in a social media post, stressing that entry into the European Union must comply with established rules.

An EU official later said there was no evidence of migrants moving onward from Ceuta into mainland Europe.

Italy also called for Spain to be suspended from the Schengen free-travel area, with Finland and Denmark expressing support for the proposal. France and the United Kingdom said they were ready to assist Spain in managing the crisis.

Donald Trump comments on Ceuta crisis

US President Donald Trump also reacted to the developments, using the situation to criticise the Democratic Party’s immigration policies.

According to Fox News, Trump said the United States could face a similar situation if Democrats return to power, using the events in Ceuta as a warning about border security.

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PM Modi, UK’s Andy Burnham agree to strengthen India-UK strategic partnership

PM Modi and new UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham agreed to expand cooperation in trade, defence, technology, clean energy and investment during their first phone conversation.

Published

3 days ago

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July 31, 2026

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PM Modi

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday congratulated newly appointed UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham and said both leaders had agreed to take the India-UK Comprehensive Strategic Partnership to “new heights” by expanding cooperation across several key sectors.

The two leaders spoke over the phone and discussed various aspects of bilateral relations, including trade, investment, technology, defence, clean energy, education and people-to-people exchanges.

PM Modi highlights cooperation across key sectors

Sharing details of the conversation on social media, PM Modi said he extended his congratulations to Andy Burnham on assuming office and wished him success during his tenure.

He said both countries would work together in areas such as technology, innovation, defence, security, clean energy, education and stronger people-to-people connections to further strengthen the India-UK Comprehensive Strategic Partnership.

The Prime Minister also said India and the United Kingdom would work closely to maximise the trade and investment opportunities created by the recently operationalised India-UK Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA), with the aim of promoting shared prosperity and improving the well-being of people in both countries.

UK outlines Vision 2035 goals

According to a statement issued by the British government, Andy Burnham highlighted the strong partnership between the two nations and its positive impact on communities across the United Kingdom.

The statement said the British Prime Minister expressed his ambition to further deepen bilateral ties through the UK-India Vision 2035 framework while strengthening people-to-people links.

Burnham also acknowledged the contribution of the Indian community to British society. During the conversation, PM Modi referred to the historical connection between Manchester and Ahmedabad, describing Ahmedabad as the “Manchester of India”.

Focus on trade and investment

The British readout said the leaders also discussed the recently introduced free trade agreement, with PM Modi underlining its potential to generate new opportunities for businesses and people in both countries through stronger trade and investment cooperation.

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