Gas-Plant Explosion Kills Six Workers

An apparent propane leak triggered explosions at a gas-processing plant, propelling fireballs and smoke into the sky. Six people were killed and 39 wounded, a plant official said Saturday.

A convoy of ambulances, fire trucks and other rescue equipment rushed to the Cactus petrochemical complex, about 400 miles southeast of Mexico City, in the hours after Friday night’s explosion.

The Cactus complex processes about one-fourth of the cooking gas used in Mexico. It employs about 1,600 workers and is the largest of several Pemex subsidiaries.