Update on truck explosion in Mexico

Update on truck explosion in Mexico

Posted on Sep 11, 2007 in Opinions by PMC 7 Comments

Editors Note: It seems more and more information about this is being revealed by the investigating authorities and as I receive news and updates, I’ll be posting them here at the bottom of the post. Keep checking back if this is of interest to you.

As officials have had time to sort out the sequence of events relating to this tragedy, the death toll has been revised to 28 with more than 200 injured, 50 of them critically.

It has been confirmed the truck was loaded with 25 tons of Ammonium Nitrate, not dynamite as originally thought.

Facts on Ammonium Nitrate.

UN No 1942. Hazard class 5.1. Packing group III. (Oxidizing Agents)

which would explain why people were caught in the subsequent blast.

The cargo orginated from an Orica Ltd. plant which is the largest manufacturer of explosives in the world with operations in over 50 companies, headquartered in Australia.

The truck was destined for a mine in the pacific state of Colima when the accident occurred. Federal Highway Police are still investigating the cause and are uncertain whether the driver was killed in the blast. (better for him if he was)

But this was not a terrorist attack. It was not a “dirty bomb” headed for the U.S. or anything other than what it was, a tragic accident.

There has been some talk about whether this load was placarded and such. They showed a video of the scene on Univision this morning, and it looks like a war zone. All that is left of the truck was the mainshaft gears of the transmission, or at least that is what they zeroed in on. But considering the international scope of Orica Ltd. it is safe to assume the truck left the plant properly placarded and the load properly secured. The fact it took 40 minutes from the time of the accident to the explosive event also backs up this assumption.

To give you an update that I received as I was writing this from the local paper in Monclova:

El Gobernador Humberto Moreira Valdés, reveló que la cifra oficial de muertos por la explosión del pasado domingo se incrementó a 28 personas y hay 52 lesionados.
The Governor Humberto Moreira Valdés, revealed that the official number of died by the explosion of the past Sunday was increased 28 people and is 52 injured.

El estallido, dijo el mandatario estatal, provocó la destrucción de cuando menos medio centenar de vehículos y dañó una veintena de viviendas en un radio de 600 metros.
The outbreak, said the state agent chief executive, caused the destruction of at least half hundred of vehicles and damaged a twenty of houses in a radius of 600 meters.

En ésta, que es la peor tragedia ocurrida en Coahuila, después de la explosión en la Mina Pasta de Conchos, la Procuraduría General de Justicia del Estado reveló que de entre las víctimas, 26 son del sexo masculino, 2 mujeres y además 6 personas perdieron una extremidad en el estallido.
In this one, that is the worse tragedy happened in Coahuila, after the explosion in the Mine Paste of Conchos, the General Office of the judge advocate general of Justice of the State revealed that of between the victims, 26 are of masculine sex, 2 women and in addition 6 people lost an extremity in the outbreak.

David Herrera García, el periodista de Zócalo que murió en el accidente, pudo grabar en su equipo fotográfico la magnitud de la tragedia.
David Herrera Garci’a, the Zocalo journalist that died in the accident, could record in his photographic equipment the magnitude of the tragedy.

Antes del estallido, Herrera captó con su cámara a decenas de personas que estaban en el área de la tragedia observando las labores de rescate.
Before the outbreak, Herrera caught with its camera to tens of people who were in the area of the tragedy observing the rescue work.

El reportero de Zócalo dejó grabado en su cámara fotográfica el camión en el que trasladaban las 25 toneladas de explosivos, quizá la única fotografía que exista.
The Zocalo reporter left to engraving in his camera the truck in that they transferred the 25 tons of explosives, perhaps the only photography that exists.

Herrera llegó al kilómetro 37, lugar de la tragedia, apenas 28 minutos después de que se reportó el accidente.
Herrera arrived at kilometer 37, place of the tragedy, hardly 28 minutes after the accident was reported.

La primera fotografía quedó registrada a las 20:28 horas del domingo y captó el camión de la empresa Orica en llamas.
The first photography was registered to 20:28 hours of Sunday and caught the truck of the Orica company in flames.

La unidad, envuelta por el fuego tras el impacto, llevaba colocados avisos del transporte de materiales peligrosos como lo estipula el Reglamento para el Transporte Terrestre de Materiales Peligrosos.The unit, surrounded by the fire after the impact, did take placed warnings of the transport of dangerous materials as it stipulates the Regulation to it for the Terrestrial Transport of Dangerous Materials.

Las autoridades estatales aún no determinaban la responsabilidad de la empresa, hasta que la Procuraduría General de la República termine con las investigaciones.
The state authorities not yet determined the responsibility of the company, until the General Office of the judge advocate general of the Republic finishes with the investigations.

Durante 17 minutos, Herrera estuvo grabando imágenes.
During 17 minutes, Herrera was recording images.

Apenas 6 minutos después de haber arribado al lugar de la tragedia, en la memoria de la cámara quedó grabada la imagen de uno de los ocupantes de la camioneta sin vida.
Hardly 6 minutes after to have arrived at the place of the tragedy, in the memory of the camera it was recorded the image of one of the occupants of the light truck without life.

A las 20:32 horas, Herrera tuvo su último contacto con la redacción de Zócalo.
To 20:32 hours, Herrera had its last contact with the Zocalo writing.

El reportero de esta casa editorial alcanzó a detallar la forma en la que los cuerpos de los ocupantes de la camioneta eran rescatados por curiosos y policías.
The reporter of this publishing house reached to detail the form in which the bodies of the occupants of the light truck were rescued by peculiar and police.

Herrera narró cómo alrededor de la camioneta, medio centenar de personas observaban el rescate, sin tomar en cuenta que a pocos metros el camión que ardía en llamas representaba una amenaza para todos.
Herrera narrated how around the light truck, means hundred of people observed the rescue, without taking into account that to few meters the truck that burned in flames represented a threat for all.

“Se está consumiendo en llamas el camión”, fue el último reporte de David.
“The truck is being consumed in flames”, was the last report of David Herrara

That about wraps it. Under Mexican law, officers of the company can be held criminally accountable for this accident if it is determined the driver was at fault. As I said earlier, it is probably best if he died in the blast. The alternative is not too appealing.

UPDATE 11:10 CDST

It is being reported in La Prensa in the first paragraph of this story that the vehicle involved was a 2007 model tractor, no make given and that the company (trucking) did have all permits required to haul the load and that the tractor did not exceed legal weight limits. They were carrying as reported, 22 tons of material and 32 tons would have been the legal limit.

Third paragraph states: The carrier had permits to carry this type of load issued by the SCT and the Defense Ministry, and the driver had the appropriate type of license and endorsements to be transporting this load.

(A note. Reading another report, it stated that they think the driver was killed in the explosion because he was seen close to the truck trying to warn oncoming motorist away from the wreck at the time of the explosion. This contradicts earlier claims that “he might have fled”)

UPDATE at 16:44

I just received information from a source in Monterrey who advised me that the two unidentified bodies in the truck explosion WERE NOT those of the driver and co-driver, which confirms earlier reports they may have fled the scene.

So what does this mean? Well, at the moment, the head honcho of the state attorney general’s office (PGJE) would like to have a little talk with these boys and has issued a detention warrant for them.

What happens now? When these guys are caught, they will be questioned and detained. By that time, perhaps fault will have been determined. If it is determined the truckers are at fault, they will be detained without bond pending a Judges review of the case and sentence being handed down. They can be sentenced to terms for each death, if it is determined they were at fault. A life sentence is Mexico is considered 30 years more or less so they’ll probably be looking at that amount of time at a minimum. In addition, the owner of their company can be held liable for the action of the employees and at a minimum be forced to pay for damages.

If they are not at fault, and there was witnesses to the original accident, they have, without question, left the scene of an accident. That will result in the loss of their Licencia Federal for the mandated minimum of 10 years. So in a nutshell, these two are screwed, blued and tatooed. I don’t think any of us would want to be in their shoes right now.

And folks, have no doubt. This accident made the news around the world. There is no hole deep enough in Mexico for these two to hide. Rest assured of that.

UPDATE 17:02
The latest news, reported in El Universal a credible newspaper is this:

La hipótesis más creíble es que el chofer de la Lobo trató de rebasar al tractocamión, pero perdió el control de su vehículo y se estrelló en la parte baja del remolque y desconcertó al trailero. Aunque éste, identificado como José Alberto Borrego González y su acompañante bajaron de inmediato y alertaron a los automovilistas que iban a atrás, lo que permitió que algunos se alejaran del sito.

(The most credible hypothesis is than the driver of the Wolf tried to escape to the tractocamión, but he lost the control of his vehicle and he crashed in the low part of the tow and disturbed to the trailero. Although this one, identified as Jose Alberto Borrego González and his companion lowered immediately and alerted to the motorists who went to back, which allowed that some moved away of the situated one)

Se presume que el conductor del tractocamión y su acompañante huyeron del lugar, pues no se les ha encontrado entre los muertos. El camión pertenece a la empresa Explosivos Mexicanos de Grupo Internacional Australiano Orica, SA de CV.

(It is presumed that the conductor of the tractocamión and his companion fled from the place, because has not been them between deads. The truck belongs to the company Explosivos Mexicanos de Grupo Internacional Australiano Orica, SA of CV)

That is the latest. Apparently, it has been determined the driver of the pickup truck was at fault, misjudged and cut in to short and got under the trailer.

As for the driver being employed by a company which is a multinational concern from Australia (hey they speak English down there mate, so they must be alright), it can be presumed these guys were as legal as they were required to be.