An underwater natural gas pipeline owned by Mexican PEMEX ruptured this last Friday next to a drilling platform. A pit was created in the middle of the water around 5:45 AM Friday as the pipeline caught on fire while boats hurried to put it out by spraying it with water. The fire was extinguished after about 6 hours and no platform operators were injured. The cause of the leak is not known but investigations are underway.
The leak did not cause a spill but points out examples of some of the dangers of extracting fossil fuels and heightens calls for a change of energy mix. Researchers say other aging PEMEX infrastructure should be inspected to prevent these kinds of disasters from occurring. While drilling for oil and natural gas continue to occur, these types of incidents are prone to continue happening.
