Deadly truck explosion highlights concerns about Mexican truckers.At least 28 people were killed and 130 injured on September 10 when a truck trailer laden with 25 metric tons of ammonium nitrate explosives crashed and sent a bright orange fireball fireball, very bright meteor leaving a trail in the sky that can remain visible for several minutes; often a distinct sound, perhaps caused by very low frequency radio waves, is associated with it. along a two-lane highway north of Monclova, Mexico. "It was like a hurricane.... It just blew everyone over," said Daniel Terrazas, whose brother-in-law was among those killed in the tragic accident. "I walked among people without heads and hands while I looked for my family." [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] The deadly accident came one day after President George Bush opened U.S. borders to Mexican truckers, as part of the ongoing integration process ushered in by the North American Free Trade Agreement North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), accord establishing a free-trade zone in North America; it was signed in 1992 by Canada, Mexico, and the United States and took effect on Jan. 1, 1994. (NAFTA NAFTA in full North American Free Trade Agreement Trade pact signed by Canada, the U.S., and Mexico in 1992, which took effect in 1994. Inspired by the success of the European Community in reducing trade barriers among its members, NAFTA created the world's ). The administration describes the current controversial opening of the border as a one-year "pilot program" that will allow 100 approved Mexican trucking companies to make long hauls across the United States. Melissa Delaney, a spokeswoman for the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration The FMCSA was established as a separate administration within the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) on January 1, 2000, pursuant to the Motor Carrier Safety Improvement Act of 1999. , said American citizens have no reason to fear a similar devastating dev·as·tate tr.v. dev·as·tat·ed, dev·as·tat·ing, dev·as·tates 1. To lay waste; destroy. 2. To overwhelm; confound; stun: was devastated by the rude remark. incident occurring here because of trucks now arriving from Mexico. "No Mexican trucks in this long haul border program will be hauling anything defined as hazardous. Hazardous materials are prohibited in the demonstration project," she said. |
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