Death toll in Mexico pipeline fire rises to 95

MEXICO CITY — The death toll in a massive fire at an illegally tapped pipeline in Mexico has risen to 95 after two more injured people died at hospitals.

Health Secretary Jorge Alcocer said Wednesday that 44 victims who were severely burned were still in hospitals, two of them in Galveston, Texas. Some are in very poor condition.

The victims were gathering gasoline from an illegal pipeline tap in the central state of Hidalgo on Friday when the gas ignited, littering an alfalfa field with charred bodies.

Many people suffered severe burns. About one-third of those who initially survived have since died of their injuries.

A total of 14,894 illegal taps were found throughout Mexico in 2018.

AP