Fuel truck crash sparks huge fire in Mexico

Video footage shows cargo train hurtling through flames in city of Aguascalientes

A cargo train hurtled through the flames after a large fire broke out in the Mexican city of Aguascalientes. Image: Twitter
A cargo train hurtled through the flames after a large fire broke out in the Mexican city of Aguascalientes. Image: Twitter

A huge fire broke out in central Mexico on Thursday after a fuel tanker truck crashed into an overpass by a rail line.

The blaze scorched homes, engulfed the area in thick smoke and led to a mass evacuation, but there were no deaths, authorities said.

Video footage of the fire on social media showed a cargo train hurtling through the flames after the accident in the city of Aguascalientes, as stunned drivers at the scene retreated from their cars.

Aguascalientes fire chief Miguel Murillo said between 800 and 1,000 people were evacuated after the tanker collided with the overpass and set fire to a nearby residential area.

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Twelve people had been rescued from houses, and no one was injured, he said, although one person had suffered minor effects from smoke inhalation.

The driver of the truck has been arrested, he said.

Local media initially reported that the fuel truck had hit a train. — Reuters