Mexico City, Oct 31 (AP) An early morning explosion, apparently caused by an illegal tap on a gas line, shook the central Mexican city of Puebla on Sunday, killing at least one person and injuring 11, according to state officials.

Puebla Governor Miguel Barbosa said an emergency call warning of a gas smell in the area allowed officials to evacuate some 2,000 people living within a kilometer (about half a mile) of the leak before the explosion.

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Officials said dozens of houses were destroyed or damaged in the city of 1.7 million people.

The governor said rescue teams with dogs were searching for more possible victims, though there were no reports of missing people.

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Mexico has long been plagued by thieves who tap into gas and gasoline ducts.

An illegal tap of a gasoline line caused an explosion that killed at least 128 people in the town of Tlahuelilpan, north of Mexico City, in 2019. People had gathered in a field to fill containers with gasoline leaking from the line. (AP)

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)