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N0KFQ > TODAY 22.04.14 16:02l 48 Lines 2007 Bytes #999 (0) @ WW
BID : 18474_N0KFQ
Read: GUEST
Subj: Today in History - Apr 22
Path: IZ3LSV<IK6ZDE<VE3UIL<VE3UIL<N9PMO<N3XPD<KQ0I<N0KFQ
Sent: 140422/1355Z 18474@N0KFQ.#SWMO.MO.USA.NA BPQ1.4.60
Apr 22, 1992:
Sewers explode in Guadalajara
Dozens of sewer explosions in Guadalajara, Mexico, kill more than
200 people and damage 1,000 buildings on this day in 1992. The
series of explosions was caused by a gas leak, the warning signs
of which were ignored by the Mexican government and the national
oil company.
Three days prior to the explosions, the residents of a
working-class neighborhood in Guadalajara noticed a foul smell in
the air. The people experienced stinging in their eyes and
throats. Some felt nauseous. Despite complaints, the local
authorities did not seriously investigate the issue.
On April 22, at about 11:30 a.m., a series of powerful explosions
began. They took place in an area about one mile long and seemed
to come from 35 feet below-ground along the sewer system. Twenty
square blocks of Guadalajara were leveled or seriously damaged.
In two places, craters nearly 300 feet deep opened up, swallowing
the surrounding buildings, roads, cars and buses.
Children home for Easter break were a substantial portion of the
casualties. It took a week to find and record the deaths and
injuries. About 1,500 people were hospitalized and 25,000 people
had to be evacuated.
A subsequent investigation found that a leaky water pipe had
caused a gas pipeline below it to rust. The gas then leaked into
a sewer line, where it set off the powerful blasts. Mayor Enrique
Dau Flores was indicted for ignoring the warnings; he
subsequently resigned from office. Eight others in the government
and PEMEX, the national oil company, were also charged in the
case. PEMEX was still reeling from a 1984 Mexico City propane
explosion that killed 450 people and for which they had also been
found responsible. The case brought to light a continuing problem
in Mexico: the contamination of sewage by industrial waste and
hazardous chemicals and its effect on the underground piping
system.
73, K.O. n0kfq
N0KFQ @ N0KFQ.#SWMO.MO.USA.NA
E-mail: kohiggs@gmail.com
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