An explosion at a Jose Cuervo factory in Mexico has killed at least five workers as a fire ripped through the building and prompted an evacuation of the local area.
"Work is underway to control the fire in coordination with municipal firefighters and the company’s Internal Civil Protection Unit," a statement from the Civil Protection Jalisco, posted to Facebook, said, according to a translation.
"Likewise, a search is being carried out for five people who are preliminarily reported missing," the statement added. Later updates confirmed that the five people – identified as workers at the factory – had died in the incident.
Authorities identified two further individuals who suffered injuries, one deemed "seriously" injured. Both were transferred to a local hospital in Guadalajara. The identities of those affected by the incident remain unknown.
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The explosion occurred at 4:30 p.m. local time Tuesday at the La Rojeña Factory in Tequila, Jalisco, likely caused by a boiler, according to Civil Protection Jalisco.
The statement from the group said the explosion caused a fire that spread and caused two 60,000-gallon tequila containers to collapse, according to The New York Times.
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A photo shared by the authorities showed a damaged metal container the size of a house on the ground and half collapsed.
Fifty firefighters responded to the scene in addition to the firm’s internal civil protection team.
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Locals returned to their homes Tuesday evening after authorities deemed the fire under control and the incident handled. Civil Protection Jalisco assured that authorities would remain on-site to work on the removal of hazardous materials.
The cause of the explosion remains under investigation, according to Victor Hugo Roldán, general director of Civil Protection Jalisco, told reporters.
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"The Jalisco Institute of Forensic Sciences is already here to do their expert report," Roldán told reporters. No update has been provided as of Wednesday morning.
Tequilla, touted as the birthplace of the bottled drink of the same name, has continued to prove a popular tourist destination, attracting around 1.25 million visitors annually, according to tequila maker Sauza.
