Guillermo Gutierrez / AP
Firefighters and workers dig for survivors after an explosion at the executive tower of Mexico's state-owned oil company PEMEX, in Mexico City, Thursday.
By Kari Huus, Staff writer, NBC News
An explosion in?the Mexico City skyscraper complex housing the headquarters of state oil monopoly Pemex injured?a number of people and prompted an evacuation Thursday, the company said.
A report by Reuters citing a local emergency official said that at least one person had died in the blast and 22 others were injured. Another four people were trapped inside the skyscraper, according to the official. NBC News has not confirmed that report.
"An explosion took place in the B2 building of the administrative center," Pemex said?on Twitter and photos showed smoke pouring out of the building. "There are injuries and damage on the ground floor and mezzanine," Pemex said, promising further information as it became available.
There was no official explanation for the blast.
Pemex initially said the building had been evacuated because of a problem with its electricity supply. It then said there had been an explosion, but it did not mention the cause.
Interior Department spokesman Eduardo Sanchez said the explosion took place in the basement garage of the 54-floor office tower, which is located in a busy commercial and residential area,?The Associated Press reported.
Television images?showed windows blown out on the lower floors as people were evacuated from the building ? some on office chairs and gurneys. Emergency crews loaded people on stretchers into helicopters and airlifted out of the area.
"The place shook, we lost power and suddenly there was debris everywhere," Cristian Obele told Milenio news network. "Colleagues were helping us out of the building."
Milenio TV via NBC News
The scene at Pemex headquarters in Mexico City on Thursday after an explosion. There was no official explanation for the blast.
Lines of fire engines rushed to the entrance of the building and emergency workers in high-visibility jackets ferried injured people through paper and debris strewn on the street.
The?ceiling of the basement was damaged, and the situation at the Pemex tower was dangerous, Reuters said, quoting a spokesman for local emergency services.
Reuters and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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