A nurse who was trying to help newborns to safety as a dangerous gas cloud formed at a Mexico City hospital has died of injuries she suffered when it ignited in a massive fireball, authorities said today.
Monica Orta Ramirez, 35, became the fourth fatal victim of last week's explosion at the Maternity and Children's Hospital in Cuajimalpa, a borough on the western edge of the capital. She died yesterday, the city government said in a statement.
The explosion occurred the morning of Jan 29 when a propane tanker truck arrived to supply fuel to the hospital. Authorities are still investigating but suspect that a valve leak on the truck led to the deadly gas accumulation.
As workers rushed to evacuate the hospital, the cloud ignited, leveling 70 per cent of the building.
A second nurse and two babies died previously, and more than 70 people were wounded. Twenty of them remained hospitalized as of yesterday, including 9 newborns.
