A gas truck blew up outside a maternity hospital in Mexico City today, killing at least two people, injuring dozens and trapping others after the building crumbled.
Rescuers with dogs scoured the rubble of the Maternity and Children's Hospital in the Cuajimalpa borough for people who were stuck following the huge blast, which rocked the neighborhood.
Officials gave various death tolls during the day, at one point reporting that four babies were killed, but Mexico City Mayor Miguel Angel Mancera said only two people were confirmed dead for now.
"One is a minor and the other a woman," Mayor Miguel Angel Mancera told a news conference, adding that 66 people were injured, including 22 in serious condition
The Red Cross said nine babies were taken to three hospitals in the capital.
Around three-quarters of the building collapsed after the blast, which took place at around 7:00 am (local time) after workers were unable to control a pipe leak, Mancera said.
Mancera told MVS Radio that the zone was evacuated "for safety because a lot of the people are babies in the crib area."
The newborn emergency care area was among those hit, said Adrian Rubalcava, president of Cuajimalpa borough. He said 100 people were in the building at the time of the tragedy.
The truck's three operators were detained, and two of them were in hospitalised, Mancera said. Their employer was identified as Nieto Express, which as serviced the city since 2007.
Neighbors recounted smelling a strong odour of gas and then hearing an explosion that shattered house windows and caused doors to slam open.
Adults with bloodied faces were rushed into ambulances. Relatives waited for news outside a security cordon and the smell of gas remained strong in the area.
"I'm waiting for information about my niece who gave birth yesterday (Wednesday)," said the woman's aunt, Martha Catellanos Nunez. "We are desperate. We know nothing."
Ivan Rodriguez, 28, said he was at home with his brother next to the hospital and thought an earthquake had hit the city.
