Mexican authorities now put the number killed in Friday night's fuel pipeline blast at 66, with scores more injured.

It is believed the explosion occurred after the line was ruptured by suspected fuel thieves in the town of Tlahuelilpan, in Hidalgo state.

Officials say scores of people had been scrambling to fill up containers and were engulfed in an inferno.

Dozens of charred bodies remain at the scene, which is cordoned off by security forces.

The latest updates were delivered by Hidalgo state governor, Omar Fayad, in a morning press briefing alongside President Andrés Manuel López Obrador.

"The toll that we have until a few minutes ago... is 66 dead, while 76 are injured," Mr Fayad said.

Among the injured were three women and a child of 12, he said.
Distraught relatives are still gathered at the field where the explosion took place.

Forensic experts continue to photograph the remains amid a backdrop of burned clothing and discarded fuel buckets.

Initial reports had said that at least 21 died in the blast.

It is believed fuel thieves drilled through the pipeline. Images before the explosion showed a large jet of liquid rising into the air.

Pemex, Mexico's state-owned petroleum company, confirmed in a statement that the fire was caused by illegal tapping.

Source: BBC

BDST: 2134 HRS, JAN 19, 2019
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