Charges Laid in Deadly Mexican Hotel Explosion

Prosecutors say an unauthorized gas pipeline caused the explosion that killed five Canadians and two Mexicans at a resort in Playa del Carmen Nov. 14.

Five hotel employees and contractors are facing charges ranging from homicide and causing injuries, to professional or technical misconduct in connection with the explosion that ripped through the Grand Riviera Princess Hotel last November. Five Canadian tourists, including Christopher Charmont and his nine-year-old son John, died in the blast. Officials had initially blamed the explosion on an accumulation of swamp or sewage gas, but further investigation revealed a gas line had been installed beneath the hotel lounge. The proper authorities were never notified of the gas line, and it was not properly maintained, prosecutors say. The families of the Mexican hotel workers who also died in the explosion are protesting outside the hotel, demanding fair compensation for their relatives’ deaths.