International
A sixth man is found dead after the explosion in a tequila factory in Mexico
The number of people killed by the explosion in a tequilera company rose to six, the Civil Protection and Firefighters Unit of Jalisco, a state of western Mexico, reported on Wednesday, which also reported a second fire in the factory that left no injuries.
The agency stated in a statement that municipal and state firefighters found a sixth victim during the cooling work of the area after Tuesday’s east.
He also revealed that on Wednesday morning there was a new fire in a cardboard storage that reached a 200-liter container with tequila waste, but it was already controlled and left no victims.
The death of six people and two more injured, one of them seriously, after the explosion of a tank and the subsequent fire that reached three other containers, has overshadowed the celebrations of International Tequila Day that were scheduled for this Wednesday.
In addition, it has forced the authorities to stop tourist activities in the town of Tequila, where the drink with a designation of origin is produced.
The National Chamber of the Tequila Industry canceled the presentation of a commemorative bottle and the Tequila Regulatory Council did the same with the tastings and the celebration ceremony that it would do in conjunction with the Government of the State of Jalisco.
The mayor of the municipality of Tequila, José Alfonso Magallanes, assured that the companies José Cuervo y Sauza, which have their main headquarters in the town, stopped their production and the tourist and administrative activities of the municipality were also suspended until they were assured that there is no risk of new incidents.
Magallanes told a local media that, according to the first investigations, the explosion could have originated because some workers were welding one of the stills (utensil for distilling), which was combined with an accumulation of gases.
Even so, he warned that they will wait for the expert opinions of the specialists of the Jalisco Institute of Forensic Sciences who are still working on the spot.
“What we know is that, when it comes to welding, maybe the gases make this giant tank move through the air with everything and the person who was welding and was fastened with a harness,” he said in an interview.
It was also assured that the deceased people are part of the companies that the tequilera outsources to carry out maintenance work, although on Tuesday they first identified themselves as employees of José Cuervo.
In a statement, José Cuervo reported that they evicted the distillery and its surroundings to prioritize the safety of workers and neighbors, and that they help the authorities to investigate the causes of the accident.
International
Mexican government prioritizes 191 communities after deadly floods
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum confirmed on Wednesday that the death toll from recent rains and floods across several central states has risen to 66, while the federal government has activated air bridges and prioritized assistance in 191 isolated communities.
“Unfortunately, 66 people have died, and 75 remain missing,” the president said during her morning press conference. She added that the official death toll will be updated later in a new report.
As of Tuesday, authorities had reported 64 fatalities. Sheinbaum also announced the creation of a public information center to centralize official data on the deceased, missing persons, damaged homes, and cut-off communities.
According to the president, the number of missing persons has decreased thanks to coordination with state authorities.
“Through calls to phone line 079, 103 people who had been reported missing have now been located,” she explained.
Priority Municipalities
The president noted that the federal government has classified 191 communities as ‘priority’, a designation based mainly on the percentage of homes affected.
International
New road and bridge explosions raise alarm amid indigenous protests in Ecuador
Ecuadorian authorities are investigating two explosions that occurred early Wednesday, one on a road in the southern part of the country and another under a bridge in Guayas province. These incidents follow the car bomb explosion in the coastal city of Guayaquil, also in Guayas, which occurred the day before and left one person dead and 30 injured.
Press reports indicate that one person was injured and several vehicles were damaged in the explosion on the Cuenca-Girón-Pasaje road in the south.
“Besides yesterday’s explosion in Guayaquil, we have received reports of explosives placed on bridges along the Guayaquil-Machala and Machala-Cuenca routes to disrupt traffic,” said Roberto Luque, Minister of Infrastructure and Transport (MIT).
On his X social media account, Luque reported that authorities have been deployed to the sites to assess the damage and determine the current condition of the structures.
“What they haven’t achieved with their call for a strike, some are trying to achieve through terrorism,” he stated, referring to the 24 days of protests organized by the Confederation of Indigenous Nationalities (Conaie) against rising diesel prices and other demands.
The protests, called at a national level, have Imbabura province as their epicenter. Roadblocks have also been reported in the northern part of Pichincha province, whose capital is Quito, while activities in the rest of the country continue normally.
International
Armed forces target illegal mines in Northern Ecuador with bombing raids
Ecuador’s Armed Forces carried out an operation on Monday — including airstrikes — against illegal mining in the town of Buenos Aires, in the country’s north, Defense Minister Gian Carlo Loffredo reported.
The mountainous, gold-rich area has been a hotspot for illegal mining since 2017, located in the Andean province of Imbabura.
In 2019, former president Lenín Moreno deployed around 2,400 soldiers to the region in an attempt to curb the illegal activity. “The operation began with mortar fire, followed by gunfire and bombing runs by Supertucano aircraft,” Loffredo said in a video released by the Defense Ministry.
He added that the operation would continue on Tuesday with patrols across the area to locate possible members of “irregular armed groups that may have crossed from the Colombian border.”
The Armed Forces stated on X that the intervention focused on the “complete elimination of multiple illegal mining tunnels” in the areas known as Mina Nueva and Mina Vieja.
The operation coincided with the deployment of a military and police convoy into Imbabura, which has been the epicenter of protests against President Daniel Noboa since September 22, following his decision to scrap the diesel subsidy.
Mexican government prioritizes 191 communities after deadly floods
New road and bridge explosions raise alarm amid indigenous protests in Ecuador
Armed forces target illegal mines in Northern Ecuador with bombing raids
Tec de Monterrey honors one of its students for his contribution to nanotechnology in medicine
Defense Minister commends salvadoran soldier for Central American Cross Country victory
Extension of the state of emergency approved in southern Chile
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