A gas pipeline explosion killed one person and injured 11 others in southern Mexico, the latest accident at the aging installations of state oil monopoly Pemex, the company said on Saturday. Around 800 other people were evacuated from towns close to the late Friday blast in Tabasco state, Pemex said in a statement, according to Reuters. A pipeline leak caused the explosion and fire raged for almost three hours before Pemex workers, army troops and Civil Protection volunteers could bring the blaze under control. The fatal accident was the latest in a string of spills and leaks at Pemex plants. Five people died in an ammonia leak in Veracruz state in April. The worst spill was caused by an explosion that ruptured a pipeline, also in Veracruz state, in December, injuring five and forcing hundreds from their homes. Pemex chiefs have long called for more government money to upgrade aging pipelines and installations around the country.
