Explosion At Tequila Factory Kills 5 In Mexico

An explosion at a factory producing Jose Cuervo tequila in Mexico killed five people with two others seriously injured on Tuesday.

“So far the deaths of five people are confirmed, workers of the company,” the civil protection unit in the western state of Jalisco said in a statement.

The incident occurred at around 4:30 pm (2230 GMT) at the distillery, known as La Rojena.

Fifty firefighters were at the scene to combat the inferno in addition to the firm’s internal civil protection team, the authorities said.

It was not yet known what caused the blast in Tequila municipality, with the company saying it happened during maintenance work.

The incident impacted four containers with a capacity of 219,000 liters each, two of which collapsed, said state Director of Civil Protection, Victor Hugo Roldan.

“The Jalisco Institute of Forensic Sciences is already here to do their expert report,” he told journalists.

Footage from a municipal security camera shows one of the containers flying meters into the air after the explosion, which caused a fire that was brought under control hours later.

Those living near the factory were evacuated temporarily, returning to their homes after a few hours, while the electricity supply was briefly cut as a safety measure.