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(Reuters) - Nearly 2,000 people were evacuated from a rural community north of Mexico City due to a gas leak, the Associated Press reported.

The leak was caused by an illegal tap drilled by fuel thieves, the report said. The state-run Pemex oil company said the flow of LP gas into the pipeline had been shut off.

A highway that runs just 150 yards (meters) away from the leak was closed to traffic, as was a train line nearby, according to the Associated Press.