On the 22nd of April, 1992, a series of huge explosions ripped through the Mexican
city of Guadalajara, opening up a trench almost eight kilometers (or five miles) in length. The
destruction was absolute. Hundreds were killed, thousands injured, and vast tracts of the city
damaged beyond recognition. As shocked survivors began digging through the rubble the question
remained: what could possibly have caused this kind of devastation on such an enormous scale?
Guadalajara is one of the largest cities in Mexico. In 1992 its population was growing
rapidly, having just passed three million. It was, and is, known for its rich culture and
world-leading institutions - two universities are based there and it has been the host for
numerous international sporting events. The day of the disaster began like any other in the city.
In the downtown Analco Colonia Atlas district it was market day, and so the streets were thronged
with people. Many of those people couldn't fail to notice a strong smell in the air.
For days now a gasoline-like scent had been becoming steadily stronger and stronger.
It had reached the point where it couldn't be ignored. Some people experienced headaches and
nausea, stinging eyes and sore throats. Others noticed unusual issues with their plumbing:
taps would spit and sputter, emitting a liquid that smelled disturbingly like gasoline instead
of water, and elsewhere drain covers rattled and jumped venting trails of white smoke as though
pressure was building beneath them. By this stage many residents had complained about these issues
and so would have been relieved to see city workers conducting
investigations in the area. It was clear that there was something wrong with the sewers,
but there was no indication that it was anything dangerous - quite the opposite, in fact. When
asked directly, workers assured residents that the problem was well in hand and that there
was no need for alarm. This wasn't entirely true. The city's water authority had conducted multiple
surveys over the past few days, revealing a dangerous buildup of gasoline in the sewers.
Despite this, however, they weren't authorized to order an evacuation - only to try and fix
the problem by searching for the source of the gasoline and flushing out the sewers with water.
Those who did have the authority to order an evacuation were reluctant to do so.
It would be a massive unprecedented operation affecting a huge number of people. The disruption
and expense would be incredible. Rather than authorize such a dramatic evacuation, they instead
chose to focus on trying to resolve the problem while keeping residents calm at the same time.
To this end the city fire chief even issued a radio bulletin
acknowledging that there were problems with the sewers, but assuring people that there
was no risk of an explosion and urging everyone to remain calm as the problem was dealt with. And so
on market day business continued as normal with traders and customers thronging the streets.
At 10:05am the first explosion took place. Over the next hour and a quarter it would be followed
by eight more, each one large enough to collapse buildings, fling cars and buses into the air,
and cave in the street itself to create a crater one story deep. Roads were transformed from
paved thoroughfares to rivers of mud and dust bordered by rubble. Those who survived one
explosion could not necessarily flee to safety as they had no way of knowing where the next
explosion would take place. Even as explosions continued to ripple through the district
a rescue effort was underway - ordinary people, many of them injured, dug through the wreckage
for survivors while police and firefighters attempted to save whoever they could.
The army was sent in to help, and surrounding districts were either evacuated or put on high
alert for any unusual activity - such as the smell of gasoline or rattling manhole covers.
Many, many people were pulled from the rubble, some dead and some injured. Those who'd been
made homeless by the explosions were temporarily directed to stadiums, while gymnasiums were turned
into morgues to contain the dead who could not be accommodated at the city's overflowing hospitals.
In some places bulldozers were brought in to flatten partially collapsed buildings
in order to create space for other heavy rescue equipment to be set up. However,
this was done very early in the rescue operation at a time when there was still an unknown number
of survivors in the rubble. Local residents in one area resorted to lying down in front
of the bulldozers to prevent them from flattening areas that had not yet been completely searched.
Elsewhere rescuers dug with whatever materials they had available,
sometimes just their bare hands. The site affected by the explosion was so extensive that it made
for an impossibly complex rescue operation which continued for days after the initial explosions.
Because the site was so complex the exact death toll is often disputed. Officials estimated that
252 people had been killed in the disaster, although many sources debate the accuracy of
this figure, arguing that the real death toll could be much higher. 500 people were injured,
15,000 made homeless, and at least 500 reported missing in the days after the blasts.
In the aftermath of the disaster suspicion was directed at Pemex,
a state oil company who managed a gasoline pipeline which ran directly under Guadalajara.
Displaced residents were enraged at the way in which their concerns had been ignored. For days
before the explosion they had complained of a smell of gasoline in their streets and houses,
only to be told there was nothing to worry about. Pemex denied all responsibility,
instead asserting that a small cooking oil factory was responsible. The people of Guadalajara were
unsatisfied with this explanation, not least because Pemex had already been responsible for
a number of smaller explosions in the years before the disaster. Despite mounting pressure Pemex
continued to blame the cooking oil factory... until an investigation finally revealed the truth:
a leak was found in Pemex's gasoline pipeline. The leak had been created by the proximity of
the steel pipeline to a zinc-coated water pipe. In humid conditions the two metals had reacted
causing the steel to corrode to the point that it leaked huge quantities of gasoline
into the ground. This gasoline seeped down and entered the sewer and water systems.
Gasoline had flowed through the sewers until it reached a siphon through which it could
not pass. More and more gasoline had then built up within the sewers over the course of several days.
As the sewers became saturated with gasoline it was only a matter of time before a stray
spark set off the explosions. Pemex, then, was indeed to blame. Four of its top officials were
arrested and charged with negligence. Ultimately, though, all four were acquitted of any wrongdoing.
The city mayor was also indicted, as it had been largely his decision to ignore the many
complaints from residents and not to attempt an evacuation. He was forced to resign from office.
Pemex itself voluntarily paid a small amount of compensation to those affected
while still denying all responsibility. This left the many many victims of the disaster
with little recourse. They had lost their homes, lost limbs, lost loved ones and livelihoods...
and it seemed that no real long-term help was forthcoming. Having had everything taken from
them many couldn't even afford the medical treatment necessary for their injuries.
The victims formed an association and campaign to this day for better representation,
more compensation and help for those for whom the disaster still casts a long shadow. Even almost
30 years on many survivors still suffer the consequences of the events of the 22nd of April,
1992, on a daily basis. City streets which were destroyed in the explosions have been rebuilt,
a trail of incongruously modern buildings marking the route the devastating blasts took
through the city. The disaster at least had the positive impact of bringing into
focus the need for better monitoring of sewer systems in Mexico's cities.
Now in Guadalajara and in other cities across the country sophisticated monitoring systems have
been installed to keep track of any trouble which might be brewing beneath the surface.
Previously, companies like Pemex dumped their waste into the sewers almost with
impunity. Now the disposal of waste via the sewer system is far more strictly controlled.
The Guadalajara explosions transformed an entire district and many thousands of lives... and in
doing so they drew attention to an often-neglected part of the city. Beneath every large settlement
there lies a complex network of sewers and pipelines, tunnels and transport - an underground
world which must be cared for and monitored every bit as carefully as the one above the surface.