At least 26 killed in Mexico gas plant blaze, 40 sent to hospital

REYNOSA, Mexico (AFP) - A huge blaze erupted at a Mexican gas plant near the United States (US) border on Tuesday, killing at least 26 people and injuring others in the worst accident in two years for the state-run Pemex energy firm.

Television images showed tall flames and plumes of smoke billowing from the site, located near Reynosa, a city in the north-eastern state of Tamaulipas that sits across from the Texas town of McAllen.

"Regrettably, the number of workers who died in this morning's accident in Tamaulipas rose to 26," the company said on Twitter, as the toll more than doubled from the 10 deaths that had been reported earlier in the day.

Four of the dead were Pemex workers while the 22 others were contractors, the company said.