Mexican oil, gas pipelines hit again by explosions
11 Sep 2007 00:59:29 GMT Source: Reuters
(Adds Calderon quote, powder in Oaxaca, Gissa plant shut) By Imelda Medina MALTRATA, Mexico, Sept 10 (Reuters) - Explosions rocked Mexico on Monday as attacks on six pipelines disrupted oil and gas supplies and forced thousands from their homes, just weeks after leftist rebels set off a string of pipeline bombs. Huge billowing flames lit the night sky after the blasts in the early hours of the morning. More than 20,000 people were rushed from their homes to emergency shelters as gas and oil spewed from the ruptured pipes. President Felipe Calderon, on a visit to India, condemned the sabotage and vowed to catch the perpetrators, saying: "In today's democratic Mexico there is no place for these criminal acts." State energy monopoly Pemex said there were no injuries from the blasts, most of which were in Veracruz on the Gulf of Mexico, but Chief Executive Jesus Reyes Heroles said they would cost the company "hundreds of millions of dollars." An undetonated explosive charge was found at another oil installation in Veracruz state, Pemex said. In July, a shadowy leftist guerrilla group claimed responsibility for a wave of bomb attacks on energy pipelines which cut natural gas supplies to thousands of businesses. Some local media reported on Monday that the same leftist group left a message with the unexploded device -- but local government and police officials denied any note was left. "It's just a rumor," one official said. The pipeline damage would cut off around 25 percent of the country's natural gas supply for 24 to 36 hours, Reyes Heroles told Mexican radio. He said the fact gas can't be easily stored made the situation more serious than for gasoline, where ample inventory meant supplies would be less affected. "The most important point is natural gas," he said, adding that it could take four or five days to completely restore supply. SPATE OF ATTACKS Charred trees surrounded the site of one explosion at the Balastrera gas pipeline near the town of Maltrata in Veracruz state, as firefighters struggled to control the blaze there. Some pipelines were hit in several places. It was not clear if bombs had been used. Mexico has recently suffered a spate of mostly small scale attacks attributed to rebel groups. Last month, Mexico City's Torre Mayor skyscraper was evacuated after police found a small device, believed to be an explosive, in a car in the building's underground parking. In July, the Popular Revolutionary Army, a guerrilla group known by its Spanish initials EPR, staged four bomb attacks on Pemex pipelines. Last year, al Qaeda threatened to attack installations in Mexico and other countries that supply oil to the United States. U.S. and Mexican authorities played down the threat. Mexico has deployed soldiers and federal police to protect pipelines but Calderon has said it is almost impossible to completely secure the vast network. The governor of Tabasco state, also home to myriad oil and gas wells and pipelines, said extra police and soldiers would be deployed to guard energy installations there. The worst damage from Monday's blasts was to two 48-inch (122-cm) diameter natural gas pipelines, but one major 30-inch (76-cm) oil duct was also hit. Pemex -- a top supplier of crude to the United States but a net importer of natural gas and gasoline -- said its six refineries were operating as normal and exports of oil, gas and fuel products would not be affected. However businesses in Veracruz and nearby states saw their natural gas supply disrupted. Glass maker Vitro <VITROA.MX> said it had to shut down five factories and industrial conglomerate Grupo Industrial Saltillo (Gissa) <GISSA.MX> halted three plants. Veracruz state Gov. Fidel Herrera said police chased a black pick-up truck possibly connected to the attacks along highland roads. "They are still looking for this vehicle, which is the only evidence we have that could be connected to the event," he said. The army confiscated two tonnes of explosive powder at a house in the tense southern city of Oaxaca, but a local government official ruled out a link to the pipeline attacks, saying the material was believed to have been meant for making fireworks for Mexico's Sept. 16 Independence Day holiday. (Additional reporting by Frank Jack Daniel, Catherine Bremer, Cyntia Barrera and Tom Doggett)
