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Winnipeg Free Press - PRINT EDITION
Homicide eyed in Mexican blast
MUNCIPIO DE EPA / KEYSTONE PRESS Enlarge Image
The restaurant area of the Grand Riviera Princess Hotel at Playa del Carmen, Mexico, lies in ruins after a massive gas explosion blew the premises apart Sunday.
PLAYA DEL CARMEN, Mexico -- Mexican officials have launched a homicide investigation into the explosion at a Playa Del Carmen resort that killed five Canadians.
They say they want to determine whether negligence led to the blast at the Grand Riviera Princess Hotel on Sunday morning.
The explosion also killed two Mexican citizens and wounded six Canadians who were near an exclusive part of the resort that costs extra.
Adrien Cardena, a spokesman at the Quintana Roo state prosecutor's office, told The Canadian Press homicide charges are possible against whoever is determined to be responsible.
He said the investigation will look at whether faulty construction or lax maintenance led to an accumulation of gas, which is believed to be the cause of the explosion.
Engineers, architects and scientists are all part of the team examining what happened, Cardena added.
He said it could take between two weeks and a month for the results.
The explosion blew out windows in a lounge area and left behind a metre-deep crater, littering the lawn with concrete and debris.
Soon after the explosion Sunday, officials said they thought the blast was caused by a buildup of gas from a nearby swamp.
Later, they said they believed a broken sewer line may have caused methane gas to build up.
-- The Canadian Press
Republished from the Winnipeg Free Press print edition November 20, 2010 A15
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