Mexico: Lightning Storm Ignited Gas Leak in Gulf

Mexico: Lightning Storm Ignited Gas Leak in Gulf
Tug boats tow the semi-submersible drilling platform Noble Danny Adkins through the Port Aransas Channel into the Gulf of Mexico in Port Aransas, Texas, on Dec. 12, 2020. Tom Pennington/Getty Images
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MEXICO CITY—Mexico’s state-owned oil company said Monday that a bizarre chain of events, including a lightning storm and a simultaneous gas pipeline leak, set off a strange subaquatic fireball seen last week in the Gulf of Mexico.

Petroleos Mexicanos said an intense storm of rain and lightning on July 2 forced the company to shut off pumping stations serving the offshore rig near where the fire occurred.