One of the deadliest industrial disasters in history, killing up to 600 people at a Mexico City LPG storage facility in 1984.
Key Facts
- Date
- 19 November 1984
- Deaths
- 500–600 people
- Severe burn injuries
- 5,000–7,000 people
- Facility type
- Liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) tank farm
- Historical ranking
- Deadliest industrial fire/explosion since Oppau 1921
By the Numbers
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
A liquefied petroleum gas storage and distribution facility operated in the densely populated settlement of San Juan Ixhuatepec, on the outskirts of Mexico City. A leak of LPG at the tank farm on the morning of 19 November 1984 created conditions for catastrophic ignition, likely due to inadequate safety measures and the proximity of the industrial installation to residential areas.
Beginning in the early morning hours of 19 November 1984, a series of fires and explosions tore through the PEMEX LPG tank farm in San Juan Ixhuatepec. Multiple large storage tanks ignited in sequence, producing powerful blasts and fireballs that devastated the facility and the surrounding settlement, part of the greater Mexico City metropolitan area.
Between 500 and 600 people were killed and an estimated 5,000 to 7,000 sustained severe burns. The settlement of San Juanico was largely destroyed. The disaster prompted international scrutiny of industrial safety standards and urban planning practices that allowed hazardous facilities to exist adjacent to populated communities, and it remains a benchmark case in industrial disaster history.
Human Cost
Each dot represents approximately 10,000 deaths. Total estimated: 500 (fire)
Range: 500 – 600