Mexico fireworks blast kills at least 10, injures 60

At least 10 people died on Tuesday in an explosion at a fireworks market outside the Mexican capital, a government official said, declining to provide his name as the death toll is still preliminary.

The blast struck the San Pablito fireworks market in Tultepec, about 20 miles (32 km) north of Mexico City, injuring at least 60 others, according to an official tally by emergency services which could rise.

Flurry of fireworks

Local television showed a flurry of fireworks exploding in all directions as a massive plume of smoke rose above the market.

National Civil Protection co-ordinator Luis Felipe Puente earlier told Milenio TV that 60 people were hurt, but he had no immediate report of any fatalities at the open-air San Pablito Market in Tultepec, in the State of Mexico.

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Images broadcast showed smoke rising from the scorched ground and fireworks stands. Emergency crews were attending to victims and hosing down hotspots.

Homes damaged

Mr Puente said some nearby homes were also damaged. The scene remained dangerous and he asked people not to come within three miles to avoid danger or hampering the emergency response.

He added that there was no choice but to let any unexploded fireworks burn off.

A fire engulfed the same market in 2005, touching off a chain of explosions that levelled hundreds of stalls just ahead of Mexico’s Independence Day. A similar fire at the San Pablito Market also destroyed hundreds of stands in September 2006.

Many in Mexico traditionally celebrate holidays - including Christmas and New Year’s Eve - by setting off noisy firecrackers and rockets.

Reuters/Press Association