Wednesday, November 17, 2010

Playa del Carmen blast wipes out 7 at luxurious hotel

An explosion in the Grand Riviera Princess hotel in Playa del Carmen, Mexico, killed seven people Sunday morning. The explosion occurred under the restaurant of the hotel, and formed a large crater. Swamp gas building up under the resort is alleged as the cause of the hotel blast, based on Mexican officials.

Explosion in the Grand Riviera Princess

In Playa del Carmen at the Grand Riviera Princess hotel, there had been an explosion. 2 Mexican employees and five Canadian tourists were all killed within the blast. About 50 miles south of Cancun on Mexico's Caribbean coast, there is the 676-room resort that had 18 guests injured also. People were sitting down to breakfast when a blast blew out the windows of the hotel restaurant and turned chunks of metal, glass and pavement into projectiles that hurtled 50 yards. Eight of the most seriously injured are Canadians. There are 2 people in critical condition right now. Two U.S. citizens were hurt along with eight Mexican employees. These ten had injuries that aren't quite as severe.

Exactly what the hotel blast revealed happening

The blast had been so powerful the ceiling of the Grand Riviera Princess hotel had the restaurant floor going via it, says Francisco Alor. CBS News reports that Alor is the attorney general of Mexico's state of Quintana. A resort guest told CBC News that the blast sucked the air out of the building, then forced it back in, blowing individuals off their feet and into walls. Flying glass brought on serious injuries. The guests in the resort helped out by making deck chairs into stretchers. The victims were carried out this way.

Expected that swamp gas had been involved

An investigation the Grand Riviera Princess blast suggests that natural gas had accumulated under the floor of the resort lobby and been ignited. The resort was built on a concrete slab that was near the beach and over the swamp even though you will find no gas lines. Authorities believe decomposing plant matter underground produced the gas. The construction of the Playa del Carmen hotel is being investigated also to make sure that there weren't any illegal shortcuts done to trigger the issue.

Info from

CBC News

cbc.ca/canada/edmonton/story/2010/11/14/mexico-hotel-explosion.html

Dallas Morning News

dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/news/world/stories/DN-mexico_15int.ART.State.Edition1.e26e42.html

New York Times

nytimes.com/2010/11/15/world/americas/15mexico.html?_r=1&ref=world



No comments: