A gas explosion leveled part of a maternity hospital in Mexico City on Thursday, killing at least two people and injuring dozens more.
Images showed rescuers rushing from the rubble with babies in their arms and paramedics carrying bloodied victims on stretchers.
More than 100 people were in the hospital at the time of the blast, which officials said occurred after a hose burst on a truck supplying gas to the building.
“We started pulling babies from the debris who were alive,” Igancio, a volunteer at the scene, told CNN. “We pulled out, fortunately, I think we pulled out seven. We would’ve wanted to pull out more.”
One of the fatalities was a woman, the other a baby, Mexico City Health Secretary Armando Ahued told reporters. At least 66 people were injured, officials said, including about 20 newborns.
Seven babies are in critical condition, he said. Officials initially reported a higher death toll, but later said a mix-up between the number of those deceased and those seriously injured led to an incorrect report.
There are fears that more babies and adults may be trapped in the debris of the hospital, which was on the verge of collapsing after the explosion, said government and emergency officials.
Frantic family members searched for word of loved ones they feared were inside.
“We heard something, and it smelled so much like gas, really a lot. And then two minutes, three seconds later, we saw an explosion that made everything fly in the air,” witness Teresa Ramirez told CNNMexico. “It threw me to the ground.”
Virginia Gonzalez, who lives near the hospital, said her patio was covered with broken glass from blown-out windows.
Investigators are working to determine what caused the blast, officials said.
A truck was supplying gas to the hospital when apparently a hose burst and the resulting leak caused an explosion, Mayor Miguel Angel Mancera said.
The driver and two assistants delivering the gas to the hospital have been detained, Mancera’s office told CNNMexico. Two of the detained workers are hospitalized, and one is receiving other medical care, the office said.
The gas in question is known as liquefied petroleum gas, a mix that could be mostly propane or mostly butane. These propane/butane mixes are commonly used in Mexico for heating, cooking and other fuel applications.
The Red Cross reported that it provided 23 ambulances and more than 40 rescuers to the efforts. The agency said it transported nine babies to area hospitals.
Many others were being treated for cuts from flying glass after the blast, he said.
The Cuajimalpa Maternal Hospital is on the southwest outskirts of Mexico City. It was founded in 1993 and is part of the city’s government health system.
Photos from the scene show that the gas truck belongs to Gas Express Nieto, a gas provider among the four biggest gas distributors in Mexico, according to the company.
Gas Express did not immediately comment on the explosion. Its Twitter account is private, and its Facebook page appeared to have been taken offline.
One of the city’s publicly accessible webcams captured the blast, showing a plume of smoke rising from the direction of the hospital.
Some witnesses reported seeing a fire burning at the hospital. Mancera said it was a controlled fire designed to burn off the leaking gas from the delivery truck.
