Three dead after gas explosion at Mexican children's hospital

Rescuers rushed from the rubble with babies in their arms after a gas explosion leveled part of a maternity hospital in Mexico City on Thursday, killing at least three people and injuring dozens more.

Rescue teams with hydraulic equipment worked alongside soldiers and federal police to pull people from the debris. Dozens of ambulances waited nearby to assist and transport the injured, as federal police helicopters circled the area.

More than 100 people were inside Cuajimalpa Maternal Hospital when the blast occurred at about 7:00 am, minutes after a hose burst on a truck supplying gas to the building.

Workers had noticed a leak in the hose connecting the tanker to the hospital, and immediately notified firemen, Mexico City Mayor Miguel Mancera said. The explosion occurred before the leak could be contained, as firefighters evacuated people from the hospital, he said.

A nurse and two babies were killed by the blast, Mexico City Health Secretary Armando Ahued said. At least 73 people were injured, he said, including about 20 newborns.