Pemex oil pipeline blast injures 7 near Mexico City
View of a tank containing processed oil at Mexican state-owned petroleum company PEMEX refinery in Tula, Hidalgo state, Mexico on March 8, 2011.
At least seven people were injured when an attempt to illegally tap into a Pemex oil pipeline caused an explosion near Mexico City on Sunday.
The blast shortly before 5 a.m. sent plumes of smoke and flames hundreds of feet into the air in Tonanitla, about 25 miles north of the capital city, according to The Associated Press.
More from GlobalPost: Deadly Pemex explosion in Mexico caused by gas leak, authorities say
Five of the injured were police officers, and two worked for the fire brigade.
The 30-inch pipeline is owned by Mexican state oil monopoly Petroleos Mexicanos, or Pemex, which said the fire was under control several hours after the explosion.
Pemex said those who were injured got too close to the blaze and were hurt in a secondary explosion.
Two patrol cars were incinerated by the fire.
More from GlobalPost: Mexico's president stresses need to modernize Pemex
Illegal pipeline taps are a frequent menace to Pemex, which claims it loses hundreds of millions of dollars a year to oil theft.
In January, 37 people were killed at Pemex's Mexico City headquarters when an accumulation of gas in its basement ignited.
A Pemex gas distribution plant in the northern city of Reynosa exploded in September 2012, killing another 30 people.
Agence France-Presse contributed to this report.
The story you just read is available for free because thousands of listeners and readers like you generously support our nonprofit newsroom. Every day, reporters and producers at The World are hard at work bringing you human-centered news from across the globe. But we can’t do it without you: We need your support to ensure we can continue this work for another year.
Make a gift today, and you’ll get us one step closer to our goal of raising $25,000 by June 14. We need your help now more than ever!