Photo taken with a mobile device shows army working at the site of an explosion in the municipality of Tlahuelilpan, Hidalgo state, Mexico, Jan. 18, 2019. At least 20 people were killed and 54 others injured in a pipeline explosion in the central Mexican state of Hidalgo on Friday, local authorities said. (Xinhua)
MEXICO CITY, Jan. 19 (Xinhua) -- The death toll from a pipeline explosion in central Mexico has risen to 66, the governor of the state of Hidalgo said on Saturday.
Seventy-six people had also been injured in Friday evening's explosion, Hidalgo Governor Omar Fayad said at a press conference Saturday morning in Mexico City with President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador.
The explosion and blaze occurred at around 7:00 p.m. local time (0100 GMT) at a pipeline spot in the community of San Primitivo in the municipality of Tlahuelilpan when hundreds of people gathered around a leak to collect fuel.
Fayad said the death toll could still rise as many of the injured are struggling between "life and death."
Lopez Obrador said he is dismayed by the tragedy. He offered his deepest sympathy to the families of the victims and ordered the government to offer its support.
Attending to the injured in order to save people's lives is now "the most important thing," the president said.
The accident is one of the worst tragedies due to pipeline explosions in Mexico in recent years.
In December of 2010, 30 people were killed and 52 others injured in a series of explosions involving two oil pipelines in central state of Puebla.
