Death toll rises following blast in Mexico

(Vatican Radio) The cause of the blast that claimed the lives of at least 32 people at the headquarters of Mexico's state petroleum company PEMEX in the capitol Mexico City is being investigated.

The Mexican Army, Navy and emergency services, with the help of search and rescue dogs and heavy lifting equipment including a crane, have worked through the night. One person has been rescued while four bodies have been pulled from the rubble. The blast in an adjoining building to the main PEMEX tower was in an underground car park, crumpling that floor as well as the ground floor and the first floor above it. Officials do not know how many people could still be trapped. An ambulance official, who did not want to be named, said the cause was gas.

Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto said: "We will work exhaustively to investigate what took place. And if there are people responsible, we'll apply the force of the law." Accordingly that investigation is being done by the Attorney General's Office.

Listen to regional correspondent James Blears’ full report: