By the afternoon of January the 18th, 2019 in Tlahuelilpan, Hidalgo, about 100 kilometers from Mexico City, a fuel robbery was out of control. The fuel, which began leaking from one of the state's main pipelines, brought over 400 people from the local towns and villages to a large pasture outside of town. They came to steal the gasoline that was spurting some 20 meters in the air. The gas belonged to Pemex, the state owned petroleum giant.
After a few hours, the gasoline ignited and caused the death of about 30 people in an instant: some months later, the authorities reported some 135 deaths in total.
In recent years, the theft of gasoline in Mexico has become a growing business, with criminal groups running their operations nationwide.
Due to this problem, the president, Andrés Manuel López Obrador, has implemented a policy in which soldiers of Mexico's army are now guarding the country's pipeline, and has proposed laws to congress seeking to increase sentences for people who steal gasoline.