POZA RICA

in full Poza Rica De Hidalgo, city, north-central Veracruz estado ("state"), east-central Mexico, on the Cazones River, approximately 200 feet (60 m) above sea level, northeast of Mexico City. The hot, humid climate is inhospitable, but the city is a major petrochemical centre in one of Mexico's most important petroleum-producing regions. Poza Rica was the scene of a major air pollution disaster in 1950, in which 22 persons were killed and more than 200 hospitalized, when hydrogen sulfide was accidentally vented into the air under a low-altitude temperature inversion. The city is linked by highway to the ports of Tuxpan and Tecolutla and is served by domestic airlines. Pop. (1990) 151,739.