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At least five workers have been killed and two others wounded in a fiery explosion at the Jose Cuervo tequila distillery in Mexico, according to authorities.
An explosion ripped through the La Rojeña factory in the city of Tequila, Jalisco, at around 4.30pm local time on Tuesday, sparking a huge fire and prompting emergency evacuations in the local area.
A statement by Civil Protection Jalisco said that the fire was likely caused by an explosion in a boiler which then spread to other containers.
The blast triggered the collapse of several 60,000 gallon tequila containers, Víctor Hugo Roldán, the general director of Jalisco’s Civil Protection Department, told reporters.
Fifty firefighters rushed to the scene of the fire, in addition to the firm’s internal civil protection team, authorities said.
The fire was contained hours later.
Jalisco authorities confirmed in a statement that five people died and two others were wounded – one seriously. The two injured were transported to a local hospital.
The identities of the victims are not yet known.
Evacuatees in the local area were able to return to their homes later on Tuesday
Roldán said that authorities are now working to ensure no alcohol has spilled into the municipal drainage network as they continue to remove material and cool the site of the fire.
Meanwhile an investigation into the cause of the explosion is now underway.
“The Jalisco Institute of Forensic Sciences is already here to do their expert report,” he said.
A photograph released by Jalisco authorities showed a damaged metallic container, crumpled after the blast.
The popular tourist destination of Tequilla is the birthplace of bottled tequila, and lies around 375 miles northwest of Mexico City.
