Death toll rises to 27 after explosion at Mexican petrochemical plant

Mexico's national oil company Pemex announced on Friday that the death toll for the Wednesday night explosion at one of its plants, in eastern Veracruz state, had risen to 27.

The body count stood at 24 on Thursday night but three new bodies were found as emergency teams entered other parts of the Pajaritos Petrochemical Complex.

Nineteen people remain hospitalized, 13 of who are in serious condition.

On Thursday night, Mexico's attorney general, Arely Gomez, also announced that President Enrique Pena Nieto had ordered her to open an investigation to detect the cause of the explosion and if anyone was responsible.

"I am going to ensure that Pemex, and the company with which it is associated, assume the full responsibility of carrying out a complete investigation," she told the press in Veracruz.

The explosion occurred in the Clarados III of the Pajaritos complex, belonging to Petroquimica Mexicana de Vinilo (PVM), a joint venture between Pemex and Mexichem.

The two companies began an alliance in 2013, to relaunch PMV, which is dedicated to the manufacturing of products in the vinyl chloride value chain.

At a press conference on Thursday night, Pemex CEO Jose Antonio Gonzalez Anaya said that it could be a long time before the plant re-opens.

"It could take months, it is difficult to evaluate. It could take up to a year for the damage to be repaired," he explained.

Source: XINHUA