At least six workers died in a fiery explosion at the Jose Cuervo tequila factory in Mexico, which sent one tank flying 656 feet into the air, officials said.
The hellish blaze broke out at around 4:30 p.m. on Tuesday in the city of Tequila, with 50 firefighters called in to battle the flames.
Harrowing video from a nearby street shows the moment the explosion occurs, sending one distillery tank flying hundreds of feet into the air.
The massive airborne tank, which could be seen flipping in the air, was followed by a fireball as the blaze spread to other tequila vats.
Jalisco’s civil protection agency confirmed six deaths on Wednesday as a result of the incident at Jose Cuervo’s La Rojena plant, with the exact cause of the explosion and fire unknown.
Officials said the incident involved the explosion of a tank car, with the subsequent fire igniting three other vats, each with a capacity of more than 200,000 liters of tequila.
Jose Cuervo noted that employees were doing maintenance work at the time of the explosion, adding that the company is working with officials on the ongoing investigation.
Jalisco authorities originally confirmed the death of five people in the fire, but a sixth body was found Wednesday morning while officials were moving debris from a retention pit near the burnt containers.
Along with the six death, officials said two others were injured in the fire.
Members of the civil protection agency also put out a new fire that had broken out on Wednesday in the storage area and reached a 200-liter drum of raw material waste.
The fire, which was put out by a team of 50 firefighters, also forced residents to temporarily evacuate.
Jose Cuervo has described the city of Tequila as the birthplace of the distilled spirit, with the company developing its brand at the Rojena plant.
Tequila is the home of several distilleries and has become a popular tourist destination about an hour’s drive from Guadalajara, Mexico’s second largest city.
With Post wires
