7 dead in gas blast at Mexico City children's hospital
A gas truck explosion smashed a maternity children's hospital in Mexico City on Thursday, leaving at least seven people dead and scores injured, multiple media reported.
Four children are among the seven deaths confirmed after the natural gas explosion rocked the hospital, CNN said.
Fausto Lugo, the city's civil defense director, told the Associated Press that 37 people were transported to other hospitals. People probably remained buried in the rubble, Lugo said.
CNN, citing Mayor Miguel Angel Mancera, said the gas truck was attempting to supply the hospital when a hose burst, causing a leak blamed for the blast. The network said the truck belonged to Gas Express Nieto, which describes itself as one of the four major natural gas providers in Mexico.
"There was a super explosion and everything caught on fire," Ismael Garcia, 27, who lives a block from the hospital, told the Associated Press.
Garcia ran toward the hospital where the truck had exploded and was told it had been connecting to the kitchen when the explosion occurred.
Garcia and others entered the hospital and made their way to the nursery. "Fortunately, we were able to get eight babies out," he said.
According to a government website, the hospital was founded in 1993 and counted 35 beds. It is located in a densely populated lower middle class neighbourhood next to a school.