Mexico gas explosion kills at least two at maternity hospital

A natural gas explosion outside a maternity hospital in western Mexico City on Thursday killed at least two people, a woman and a child, and injured more than 70 others, including 22 who are in serious condition. 

Injured and bleeding, mothers carrying infants fled from the Cuajimalpa Maternity Hospital shattered by the powerful explosion. By late Tuesday, after workers spent hours spent clawing through rubble, Mexico City officials said 73 people were injured. 

Mexico City Mayor Miguel Ángel Mancera said 70 percent of the hospital had collapsed. Authorities have confirmed that none of the children registered in the hospital are trapped, but said it's possible that others who had come for appointments could be.

Fausto Lugo, the city's civil defense director, said 37 people were transported to other hospitals.

Thirty-five-year-old Felicitas Hernández wept as she frantically questioned people outside the mostly collapsed building, hoping for word of her month-old baby, who had been hospitalized since birth with respiratory problems.

"They wouldn't let me sleep with him," said Hernández, who said she had come to the city-run hospital because she had no money.

The explosion occurred early Thursday when the tanker was making a routine delivery of gas to the hospital kitchen and gas started to leak. Witnesses said the tanker workers struggled frantically for 15 or 20 minutes to repair the leak while a large cloud of gas formed.

"The hose broke. The two gas workers tried to stop it, but they were very nervous. They yelled for people to get out," said Laura Díaz Pacheco, a laboratory technician.

"Everyone's initial reaction was to go inside, away from the gas," she added. "Maybe as many as 10 of us were able to get out ... The rest stayed inside."

The tanker driver and two employees were hospitalized but are also in custody, said a Mexico City government spokesman, who could not be named because she was not authorized to speak to the press.

The explosion sent a column of smoke billowing over the area on the western edge of Mexico's capital and television images showed much of the hospital collapsed, with firefighters trying to extinguish flames.

"There was a super explosion and everything caught on fire," said Ismael García, 27, who lives a block from the hospital.

García ran toward the hospital where the truck had exploded and was told it had been connected to the kitchen when the explosion occurred. García and others entered the hospital and made their way to the nursery.

"Fortunately, we were able to get eight babies out," he said.

Al Jazeera and The Associated Press