It has been 30 hours since the residents of the towns of Puente Grande and Tololotlán left their homes due to the gasoline leak registered Friday morningso it is expected that this Saturday Pemex personnel will finish the work in the area and be able to return to their homes.
The director of the Jalisco State Civil Protection and Firefighters Unit, Víctor Hugo Roldán, explained that they will insist with Pemex personnel to end the suppression of the leak.
“It is a lot of time on the part of citizens away from their homes and it is one of the conditions that we are seeking to resolve.”
Víctor Hugo Roldán added that State agency personnel took measurements in the area and there was no riskonly the odors emanating from the fuel that remained stagnant in the trench.
He added that Pemex workers also continued with gasoline extraction and pipeline repair work.
“The cap did not move and there was no vapor emanation either. Checks were carried out in the early morning by our staff and did not generate any measurements or leaks, only the odors that prevailed from the spill that is still in place. Right now in the morning the absorption of contaminated product both in soil and gasoline that was in the trench continued and the repairs continued, some perforations were made in the pipeline to continue the operation. We hope that in a not too long time it will be resolved and sealed by Pemex.”
On Friday, Pemex personnel located tools at the site that were used to drill the pipeline and extract gasoline clandestinely.
Due to the leak, 2,100 people were evacuated in El Salto, Juanacatlán, Zapotlanejo and Tonalá, of which the majority returned home in the afternoon, except for the residents of Puente Grande and Tololotlán, who will do so until the Pemex workers finish to work and authorize it.
In addition, classes were suspended in 22 basic education schools, while the Ministry of Environment and Territorial Development issued an atmospheric alert due to the vapors that generated a cloud that extended 3.5 kilometers around.