It is not yet clear what caused the blast at the natural gas storage plant at the Chachapa industrial park.

 

The explosion set off a fire which engulfed¹ much of the area.

 

The main highway linking Mexico City and Veracruz was closed for more than four hours as firefighters brought the blaze under control.

 

Businesses and homes were evacuated² in a radius³ of 3km.

 

The blast occurred at 18:30 local time at the plant owned by Tomza Gas. Local officials said most of the workers had already finished their shift, keeping the number of casualties relatively⁴ low.

 

Four of the bodies were found soon after the blast. Two other burnt bodies were found later in the plant's rubble⁵.

 

The victims have not been identified.

 

Governor Rafael Moreno Valle has visited the site.

 

Some 100 people who spent the night in hostels⁶ and improvised⁷ shelter have now been allowed to return home.

 

Tomza sells and install gas tanks and cylinders⁸（汽缸，圆筒） for household, commercial and industrial use.

 

There have been a series of gas-related accidents in Mexico. More than 20 people were killed when a lorry carrying gas tanks exploded on a highway on the outskirts⁹ of Mexico City in May.

 

And in September 2012, 26 people died in a fire at a gas plant owned by the state oil company Pemex in the city of Reynosa.

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