Mexico announces the cause of the fire in its Gulf

Mexico's state-owned oil company said a "strange chain of events", including a thunderstorm and a simultaneous leak of gas pipes, has ignited a strange eye-like fireball seen last week in the Gulf of Mexico.

Petroleos Mexicanos said that a severe storm of rain and lightning, on July 2, forced the company to close the pumping stations serving the offshore drilling rig near the site of the fire.

At the same time, the company noted, the leak in an underwater pipeline allowed natural gas to accumulate on the ocean floor, and once it rose to the surface, it was likely ignited by a lightning strike.

The company sent firefighting boats to pump more water over the flames, and no one was hurt in the accident.

She said no crude oil has been spilled.

The accident led to the appearance of a fireball in the Gulf waters that appeared to be boiling water, and drew criticism from environmentalists.

Greenpeace said the fire, which took five hours to put out, "illustrates the serious risks that the Mexican fossil fuel model poses to the environment and people's safety."

President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador has bet heavily on drilling more wells and buying or building oil refineries.

He describes the sector as "the best business in the world".

Climate activist Greta Thunberg retweeted a video of the fireball on her Twitter account.