Death at Daybreak! Tragedy in Mexico
By Awake! correspondent in Mexico
“WAR has started!” “A bomb has been dropped on us!” Those were the anguished cries in a Mexico City suburb during the early morning of November 19, 1984. What had happened?
Four huge storage tanks, each holding approximately 1,600,000 liters (420,000 gal) of liquefied gas, had exploded. So had 48 smaller ones. The series of explosions transformed the whole area into a holocaust. Ten days later the official toll stood at 452 known dead and some 5,000 injured, many seriously. Besides that, about 1,500 individuals had disappeared.
Yes, tragedy had struck at daybreak in San Juanico, another name for the Mexico City suburb of San Juan Ixhuatepec. Within the hour, at 6:40 a.m., we received an urgent call from Victor Vazquez, a traveling overseer. He was greatly concerned about the welfare of some 150 of our brothers living in the area affected by the blasts.
From our position about 25 kilometers (15 mi) away, we saw the immense mushroom cloud, similar to that of an atomic blast. The explosions could even be heard here. Immediately, arrangements were made for two of us to travel to the area to see how our brothers were faring.
In the Face of Disaster
Isidro Rodriguez and his family lived less than a hundred meters (110 yd) from the explosions. “When the explosions occurred,” he said, “it felt as if our home was sinking. I immediately got my family together and fled.”
“The fire and searing heat filled the streets,” Dalio Diaz told us. “I was out with my sister-in-law buying milk when we felt the tremendous blast, followed by intense heat. I threw myself behind a brick wall for protection, and only one of my hands was burned. My sister-in-law, though, was caught by the fire and suffered burns all over her body.”
“On feeling the explosions, I quickly ran into the street,” Josué Calderon explained. “I felt as if I was going to catch on fire. My fright increased when I saw a man burning alive. His flesh was falling off and his hair was on fire. I ran around in circles until I got control of myself.
“Then I managed to tell my wife, who was still inside the house, to flee with our children. She got the girls into an automobile that stopped for them, but since there was not enough room for her, she had to go another way.”
Josué’s right arm was burned. Later he learned that his wife was unhurt and was in the home of some brothers. The girls also were unhurt and safe in the home of another family.
It is difficult to describe the panic following the explosions. Terrified people ran around, bumping into one another. Many were burned to death; others were crushed to death when huge pieces of steel from the exploding gas tanks were hurled through the air and fell on top of their homes. One of the pieces made a hole 50 centimeters (20 in.) deep where it fell on a concrete street.
Help From Many Sources
The government was quick to mobilize the different branches of the police and army in order to rescue victims and rush them to shelters where they could be treated and fed. To prevent thievery, sentries were posted around the area of abandoned homes. Badly burned people were taken to nearby hospitals.
That Monday, television and radio stations were transmitting disaster news throughout the country. Food, clothing, medicine, and money started to pour into the stricken area. In fact, other countries also sent help. Thus protection and help were provided for the hundreds of people that were severely affected.
Many were able to flee, even in the midst of falling pieces of steel, wood, and stones. Some got to the Mexico/Pachuca highway and were picked up by passing automobiles. Others were rescued by government workers and were taken to provisional shelters.
Love Demonstrated
The brothers in outlying areas immediately went to work, looking for and helping their brothers who were victims of the disaster. These concerned and loving brothers hospitably opened their homes and provided lodging and help in every way.
When it was found that many of the brothers were not accounted for, the elders of that area organized a systematic search for them. Little by little, those unaccounted for began showing up. One family had gone all the way to the state of Veracruz, 400 kilometers (250 mi) from the disaster area. Others had been taken to the classrooms of the National Polytechnic Institute. From there, they had been transferred to friends’ homes, where they were given loving care.
All the brothers in the disaster area were soon located. One brother and his teenage son died due to the seriousness of their burns. The elders made arrangements for the funeral, and the widow and her remaining children have been receiving full support, materially and spiritually.
Since news of the explosions spread rapidly, the brothers quickly found out about the situation, and it seemed as though all of them were trying to communicate with the Society’s office at once. They wanted to know how their brothers and sisters were faring and how they could help them. So much in the form of clothes, food, and money came in that the committee formed to assist the victims was very busy getting relief supplies to the needy ones.
This disaster was not a pleasant experience, but it gave Jehovah’s people opportunity to show love, kindness, and hospitality. They responded as did their first-century brothers upon finding out about the circumstances of their needy companions in Judea.—1 Corinthians 16:3; 2 Corinthians 8:1-4.
Unlike people in general, Jehovah’s servants were not worried about the loss of material possessions. For instance, the Jara family said, “We were taught not to worry about material possessions but to preserve our lives.”
What basic effect does such a tragedy have on true Christians? Well, perhaps this was demonstrated very simply by four-year-old Michel of the city of Puebla. While observing the disaster scenes on TV, she asked her father to turn it off so that she could say a prayer. In part, she said: “Jehovah, we are praying in behalf of our brothers. May you protect them and help them so that they do not suffer such terrible things. Also, please help my sister Adriana so that she will not be upset about what is happening to the people in the explosions. Help her to think about nice things, like the Paradise you have promised.”
[Pictures on page 25]
Four huge tanks like those at the left exploded first. Then 48 smaller ones like the one shown below exploded, some being hurled hundreds of meters