Schools evacuated in Jáltipan due to chemical odors

Several schools in Jáltipan, Veracruz, were preventively evacuated on Wednesday, November 4, due to strong chemical odors. The smells originated from fuel residues following an incident at the Petroquímica Mexicana de Vinilo (PMV) salt plant over a month ago.

Bernabé Tadeo Vidal, head of Municipal Civil Protection, stated that changing weather conditions likely caused diesel vapors from the previous fire to concentrate and drift toward residential and educational areas.

Petróleos Mexicanos (Pemex) confirmed there are no current leaks in its infrastructure. While the odors dissipated by Wednesday afternoon and authorities lifted the preventive measures, local residents remain concerned about the lingering fuel residues near the industrial complex.