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Mexico: Stealing gas from Illegally tapped gas pipeline, what could go wrong...


crash_davis

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holy shit.

I think I have an idea of the gas shortage and corruption situation in Mexico.  But I'm not sure how stealing from a lake of gas from an illegally tapped pipeline is a good idea.  21 dead, 70+ seriously injured.

https://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/burned-fire-illegal-tap-mexico-fuel-pipeline-60483361

Quote

A huge fire exploded at a pipeline leaking fuel in central Mexico on Friday, killing at least 21 people and badly burning 71 others as locals were collecting the spilling gasoline in buckets and garbage cans, officials said.

The leak was caused by an illegal tap that fuel thieves had drilled into the pipeline in a small town in the state of Hidalgo, about 62 miles (100 kilometers) north of Mexico City, according to state oil company Petroleos Mexicanos, or Pemex.

 

NSFL video.  sorta graphic.  turn down sound.  not sure how long this will stay up in youtube.

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when we were doing oil and gas data we met with a mexican company that builds pipelines and infrastructure.  We talked about how we could take readings from meters along a pipe and help find leaks and show where they were on a map. The guy said there were certain places that there would be leaks and we do not want to deal with the people who were causing them.

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I read an interview with a huichicalero - he said he was making $125/week as a cop but quickly earned enough working for a gas-stealing crew to buy his own truck and tanks and hire a crew and now makes as much as $50,000 in a week.  The guy who does the hot-tapping gets $15,000 per tap.

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20 minutes ago, UTexasFight said:

Having a Nirvana song stuck in my head is not what I expected this morning

Thinking more of Blue Oyster Cult or maybe Bruce Springsteen...

Johnny Cash?

Edited by slorch
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some motherfucker had to have their gotdam cigarettes .


Guessing all the flashlights/cell phones/vehicles were not NFPA 70, Class 1 Div 1 intrinsically safe devices.

Damn, freaking terrible. May I never be apart of giant fireball, but if I was I think after 10yards of running 30+ years of “stop drop and roll” would eventually scream from the depths of my brain.
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It's not Darwin. It's the reality of what some have to do to piece a life together in parts of the world. Treated many a burn patient, few injuries are worse to acquire. That guy at 5:25 looks to be walking around with a full thickness burn of the back, incredible.

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7 hours ago, blacklab said:

when we were doing oil and gas data we met with a mexican company that builds pipelines and infrastructure.  We talked about how we could take readings from meters along a pipe and help find leaks and show where they were on a map. The guy said there were certain places that there would be leaks and we do not want to deal with the people who were causing them.

yep. when i used to do smart pigging.  and we had to track the pig at certain mile markers.  we were explicitly told hey if you see a car or truck out there for any reason your driver is instructed to turn around and get the fuck out of dodge.  

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Reminds me of a documentary I watched on Nigeria. Natives tap into crude pipelines running thru the jungle and set up rudimentary refineries to crack kerosene. They are literally nothing more than 55 gal barrels, rubber hoses and open bonfires in a lake of crude. Absolutely no way anything can go wrong...

Not the doc I was talking about, but covers the same material.

 

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2 hours ago, RPM said:

Reminds me of a documentary I watched on Nigeria. Natives tap into crude pipelines running thru the jungle and set up rudimentary refineries to crack kerosene. They are literally nothing more than 55 gal barrels, rubber hoses and open bonfires in a lake of crude. Absolutely no way anything can go wrong...

Not the doc I was talking about, but covers the same material.

 

  

 

I saw that documentary too,  it was crazy

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There's a video of it on Liveleak.   The gas is spraying out of the pipe like a fire hydrant.  Crazy because I get a little nervous when my gas stove doesn't immediately light.

I feel bad for folks desperate enough to do this; however, it's ass-fucking stupid to be among 100+ people all clamoring for gas.  It only takes one spark.

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There's a video of it on Liveleak.   The gas is spraying out of the pipe like a fire hydrant.  Crazy because I get a little nervous when my gas stove doesn't immediately light.
I feel bad for folks desperate enough to do this; however, it's ass-fucking stupid to be among 100+ people all clamoring for gas.  It only takes one spark.
One tiny little spark. One time I used gasoline to start a bonfire, that was the last time. These people, ...... I guess gas really is a rarity there, it doesnt take much experience to know how flammable, combustible gasoline is.
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I read an interview with a huichicalero - he said he was making $125/week as a cop but quickly earned enough working for a gas-stealing crew to buy his own truck and tanks and hire a crew and now makes as much as $50,000 in a week.  The guy who does the hot-tapping gets $15,000 per tap.


I have a hard time believing the $15k. TD Williamson will do it for less than that.
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