Mexico fuel theft fire in Tabasco State
MEXICO CITY _ Authorities in Mexico say five people have now died from a fire that broke out near where people were using an illegal tap to gather fuel.
The fire broke out near an oil pipeline in the Gulf coast state of Tabasco on Dec. 22.
The Tabasco Health Department said Monday that the latest death was a 33-year-old man who died Sunday after suffering third-degree burns over three-quarters of his body.
Two injured men remain in stable condition.
The state-owned oil company, Petroleos Mexicanos, said the fire ignited in a pool of fuel left by thieves after they drilled a tap into a pipeline.
The company sealed the tap, but some fuel collected near a hose used by the thieves, and local residents were apparently trying to collect it.
The Canadian Press.