Theft
A Gas Heist Gone Wrong, an Explosion, and 137 Deaths in Mexico
A fatal fuel leak at a Pemex pipeline highlights the dangers of the illegal siphoning trade.
A team of firefighters work on a simulated fuel leak in Tlahuelilpan, Mexico.
Photographer: Hector Guerrero for Bloomberg Businessweek
The morning before 137 people died in Mexico’s deadliest pipeline explosion, clouds gathered on the horizon above Tlahuelilpan, a town two hours north of Mexico City. As the rising sun flicked the mountains poking out of the flatlands on Jan. 18, locals who worked in the nearby fields or factories left home to earn their daily wage.
The day passed like any other. Around 2:30 p.m., 25 soldiers on patrol spotted a horde of people jostling and yelling at Mile 140 of the Tuxpan-Tula pipeline. They were engaged in another of the area’s major occupations: siphoning gasoline.