At a press conference, the capital’s Prosecutor’s Office explained that after the studies and expert reports carried out both on the accident unit and in the area of the explosion, which occurred on September 10, it was determined that it was a poor maneuver by the driver that caused the vehicle loaded with 49,500 liters of liquefied petroleum gas to overturn.
The expert reports indicate that the pipe, belonging to the company Silza SA de CV, left shortly after seven in the morning from Tuxpan, Veracruz, bound for an unloading station in Tláhuac.
The studies carried out on the unit indicate that the physical conditions, suspension, steering and valves were in optimal original conditions.
“The analyzes of the hydrosanitary and gas installations confirmed that the container valve system did not present leaks, the relief and safety valve located at the back was in good condition, the filling valves at the bottom did not show failures or damage either,” reads the document presented by the Prosecutor’s Office.
The study adds that, upon reaching the Concordia highway distributor, the driver took a turn at 44 kilometers per hour when the permitted speed is 40 kilometers, which caused a rollover on the retaining wall with a weight of more than 10 tons and the advance of the unit pushed two more blocks of the wall, which caused a 40-centimeter crack in the tank where the gas leak began.
Once the leak started, the gas spread more than 180 meters and after a few seconds, the ignition point began outside and moved towards the initial point, causing the fire and damage to vehicles and people who were at the point.
Eduardo Garduño, an expert from the capital’s prosecutor’s office, stated that the road conditions, as well as the layout and signage, are adequate, which is why he ruled out that this was a factor in the accident.
“The layout of the road, the conditions of the asphalt surface, the lighting and the atmospheric phenomena had no direct relationship with the incident. The lack of expertise and ability on the part of the driver to keep the vehicle within the traffic lane was established,” he noted.
Fernando Soto, driver of the LP gas pipe that caused the accident, died on September 16 at the Victoriano de la Fuente Narváez hospital in Gustavo A. Madero, due to complications, because he had 90% burns on his body.
