A COMMUNIQUE in the name of a small, leftist rebel group claimed responsibility yesterday (10 July) for three recent explosions on Mexican gas pipelines, saying the guerrillas had planted explosives. There was no immediate confirmation of the claim from authorities, who said they were still investigating the causes of the blasts. The statement, signed by the “military zone command of the People’s Revolutionary Army”- a tiny group that has largely been inactive in recent years – said it had caused the blasts and demanded the release of two men it identified as political prisoners. However, there has been no independent confirmation of the authenticity of the guerrilla statement, which was posted on a web site that collects such bulletins from armed groups, and the state-owned oil company Pemex said it was too early to determine whether the blasts were caused by explosive devices.
This week’s explosion forced the evacuation of communities around the town of Coroneo, near the central city of Queretaro, but caused no injuries or damage outside the 36-in diameter pipeline’s installations, Pemex said in statement. Service was suspended on the pipeline that runs between Mexico City and Guadalajara. On 5 July, two explosions on another Pemex pipeline in the nearby state of Guanajuato state forced evacuations, but again caused no injuries.