Key Facts
—Power Index. Argentina ranks 4th of 14 in The Rio Times Latin America Power Index, with 60.2 points (November 2026 edition).
—Toll. One person died and 30 were hurt, seven seriously, the Lanús municipality, the local authority, said on Friday evening.
—Cause. A contractor’s tunnelling machine damaged a gas pipe at 9:44 a.m.; the explosion alert came at 10:52.
—Justice. Prosecutor Yanina Estévez ordered two senior officials of MetroGAS, the gas distributor, moved to a court office for identification.
—Deal. Oil group YPF accepted power distributor Edenor’s US$780 million offer for 70% of MetroGAS on 10 August.
A gas pipe broken by a drilling machine set off an explosion and fire in Remedios de Escalada, a town just south of Buenos Aires, on Friday 13 November 2026. The pipe belongs to a gas distributor whose sale to a new owner still awaits regulatory approval.
The Lanús municipality, the local authority for Remedios de Escalada, said that evening that one person died and 30 were injured, seven of them seriously. The pipe belongs to MetroGAS, the gas distributor for Buenos Aires, whose 70% stake YPF agreed in August to sell to Edenor for US$780 million.
All times are Argentina time (UTC−3). For US holders of YPF’s New York-listed shares, the sale still needs approvals.
What Happened on Friday
The pipe broke at 9:44 a.m., according to a MetroGAS spokesperson quoted in the municipality’s statement. The municipality says its emergency system received the explosion alert only at 10:52 a.m., more than an hour later.
Exgadet, a contractor working for MetroGAS, was renewing gas pipes with a tunnelling machine, the municipality says. It says the crew called MetroGAS’s own emergency service instead of the public emergency services.
MetroGAS told local media a machine used in the works damaged a gas pipe, and that its staff were repairing the leak when the blast came.
The Toll and the Search
By Friday evening the municipality confirmed one death and 30 injured. Seven were in serious condition, 13 were under observation and out of danger, and 10 had gone home.
Two people had been reported missing earlier in the day. That night the municipality said one had been found disoriented and the other report was a false alarm raised by a family.
Claudio Arale, director of Civil Defence, the municipal emergency service, had counted 21 injured at mid-afternoon. The person who died had not been publicly identified.
What the Prosecutor Ordered
Prosecutor Yanina Estévez, who heads criminal investigation unit number 6, ordered two senior MetroGAS officials taken to a court office. The municipality first described this as a detention, while judicial sources said the two were only being identified.
Arale said the emergency protocol had probably been violated. No court or regulator has assigned responsibility, and no charge had been announced when we last checked.
A Regulator Without a Chief
The national gas and electricity regulator, known as ENReGE, said on Friday that it would audit the incident and hand its results to the courts. A July 2025 decree created it by merging the former gas and electricity regulators.
It has had no president since 1 June 2026, when Decree 437/2026 accepted the resignation of its president, Néstor Marcelo Lamboglia, weeks after he took office. The government opened a public competition for the post on 29 July, and we found no appointment since.
Where the MetroGAS Sale Stands
On 10 August 2026 YPF told Argentina’s securities regulator, the CNV, that it had accepted Edenor’s offer of US$780 million for its 70% of MetroGAS and its 5% of MetroENERGÍA, a company linked to MetroGAS. The same letter, filed with the US Securities and Exchange Commission, says closing depends on conditions that include regulatory approval.
It names approval by ENReGE among those conditions, so the regulator now holds a sale file and an audit of the same company at once. YPF’s American depositary shares, which let US investors hold its stock, trade on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol YPF.
What It Means for You
For a holder of YPF shares in New York, US$780 million of expected sale proceeds now waits on a regulator that has no president and has just announced an audit of the company being sold. No official has said that the audit will affect the approval, and the filing gives no closing date.
For Edenor, the buyer, the target now carries an open criminal inquiry. For residents of Greater Buenos Aires, the municipality’s account says a late call to the public emergency services cost evacuation time.
Background: the Edenor deal and our first report on the blast. More is on our Argentina news page.
What Is Not Known
No authority has said why a pipe damaged at 9:44 a.m. was not isolated before the explosion at 10:52 a.m. The cause of the explosion, who is responsible and whether the two MetroGAS officials will be charged are all open. The final injury count may still change.
The date of the regulator’s decision on the sale is not confirmed.
Frequently Asked Questions
What caused the explosion in Remedios de Escalada?
The cause is under investigation. MetroGAS and the municipality both say a tunnelling machine used in pipe renewal damaged a gas pipe, but no court or regulator has said what ignited the gas.
How many people were hurt or killed?
On Friday evening the Lanús municipality confirmed one death and 30 injured, seven of them seriously. Earlier counts were lower, and the figures could still change.
Does the blast stop YPF’s sale of MetroGAS?
Neither YPF nor Edenor has said so. YPF’s 10 August filing says closing depends on conditions that include regulatory approval.
Who regulates MetroGAS?
The national gas and electricity regulator, ENReGE. It has had no president since 1 June 2026 and said it would audit the incident.
Sources
Lanús municipality statement and Civil Defence briefing, 13 November 2026 · Prosecutor’s office, unit 6, 13 November 2026 · ENReGE audit announcement as relayed by the Lanús municipality, 13 November 2026 · YPF Form 6-K with CNV letter of 10 August 2026 · Decree 437/2026 (Boletín Oficial, Argentina’s official gazette, 10 June 2026) · Government call for ENReGE president, 29 July 2026
This article was produced by The Rio Times’ automated AI newsroom. Editorial responsibility: Matthias Camenzind, Publisher and Editor-in-Chief. The Rio Times also runs Ask Rio Times, which answers from 100,000+ of our own articles, the daily Latin America Power Map, and prediction-market odds on elections and markets.. How we use AI · Report an error
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