Video surfaced Wednesday of a powerful explosion that rocked an East Zone neighborhood a day earlier.
More than two dozen people were injured after an explosion in Tijuana, Mexico, a few miles south of the San Ysidro Port of Entry Tuesday morning, prompting a large response from rescuers from various local agencies.
The video shows an SUV approaching and a pair of pedestrians, one of whom appears to be using a cane, caught in the blast. After the shock wave hits, the people are down in the street, and one slowly struggles upright. The other never appears to awaken. The SUV slowly backs down the street as the dust settles, with debris now scattered across the street.
The boom shook the Blancas building in Tijuana's East Zone at around 9:35 a.m. The building houses a print shop, a furniture store, a car detailing shop and a spare parts store. Atop the businesses were apartments that were not meant to be inhabited, according to the Tijuana Civil Protection Agency.
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It was not immediately clear what caused the explosion.
Tijuana fire crews evacuated several people from the building and began rescue work. Authorities initially reported two people were believed to be trapped at the scene. After an hour and a half of work, firefighters were able to free one person who was trapped in the basement. The individual suffered first- and second-degree burns and was one of several transported to area hospitals, the agency said.
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At least 25 people were injured, according to the Tijuana Fire Department — four with serious injuries, six in moderate condition and 15 with minor injuries. Rafael Cabillo, Tijuana's fire director, told Telemundo 20 that the search for other victims continues.
"The houses that were in the upper part were already red-tagged and the upper part should not be inhabited," Bernardo Villegas, director of Tijuana Civil Protection, said in Spanish. "I think that there was a repair of these houses and they rented them. All the people who were evacuated did not leave with injuries; [they] were outside the [explosion] area."
The owner of the building, who did not want to provide his name to Telemundo 20, confirmed that another explosion occurred a few years ago in the same place.
"The second location has an underground gas build-up. I can't tell you why; this is the second time this has happened to us. The disaster was four times bigger than [four] years ago," he said in Spanish.
The Secretary of Security and Citizen Protection, the fire department, the municipal police, Civil Protection, the Red Cross and seven private ambulances responded to the incident.
Around 10 a.m., Mayor Montserrat Caballero also arrived at the scene.
This is a developing story. Details may change as information is released.
