[2][3] Earlier in the day, Pemex sent out a tweet saying that the building was being evacuated due to a "problem with the electrical system" in the complex that includes the skyscraper.

[8] An estimated 500 rescuers[7] were working at the site through the day on 1 February 2013, including firefighters, military personnel, and Red Cross workers, aided by dogs and a crane.

[7] On 4 February 2013, it was announced by Attorney-General Jesus Murillo Karam that the explosion was caused when a buildup of gas in the basement was ignited by a spark, from what was believed to be an electrical fault.

[8] Through Twitter, President of Mexico Enrique Peña Nieto wrote: "I have ordered the relevant authorities to implement rescue protocols and the investigation of the facts.

[12][13] Former National Action Party presidential candidate Gustavo Madero Muñoz, the governors of Guerrero, Zacatecas, Veracruz, Morelos, Tabasco, and Oaxaca,[14] and the Finance Minister, Luis Videgaray Caso,[15] and several senators[16] also sent their condolences and expressed solidarity with the families of the victims.