The pipeline, running from Tabasco to Hidalgo,[1] was owned by the Pemex petroleum company, and exploded after thieves from the Los Zetas drug cartel attempted to siphon off the oil.
[3] Firefighters eventually controlled the blaze, but electricity and water remained cut following the explosions, and the military was deployed to the site.
[1] Mexican President Felipe Calderón visited the explosion site on the day of the incident to offer condolences to the victims' families.
[3][4] The fire was one of the deadliest in Mexican history, largely destroying an area of five-kilometre radius, and some oil may have polluted the Atoyac River.
[1] Previously, close to sixty illegal tapping incidents occurred near the explosion site due to thieves stealing the oil.