Death toll from pipeline fire in Mexico rises to 66

MEXICO CITY, (Patria) - At least 66 people have died and dozens have suffered burns in a fire that broke out on a leaking oil pipeline in central Mexico as locals were collecting oil, officials said. 

The fire broke out last night local time in the town of Tlavelilpan in the Mexican state of Hidalgo, about 100 kilometers north of the Mexican capital, as a leak in the pipeline attracted dozens of locals who came to collect it. 

The leak was caused by an illegal hole drilled by thieves in the pipeline, said the state oil company Petroleos Mexicanos, or Pemex.

Hidalgo State Governor Omar Fayad said authorities know it was an illegally caused leak and added that authorities are dealing with it.

Footage showed dozens of locals gathering to collect the spilled oil, the atmosphere was almost festive as entire families gathered in a field where a geyser was spewing oil several meters high from the punctured spot on the pipeline. 

Then, the fire was seen breaking out and the pipeline burning, and screams of people could be heard.