At least 10 people were killed and roughly 60 more injured when fireworks set off a larger explosion during a festival in Santa Maria Canchesda, a village in the Temascalcingo municipality of central Mexico.
Video from the scene shows revellers carrying a bull-shaped straw effigy rigged with fireworks. The burning figure appears to have ignited a separate stock of pyrotechnics kept inside the village church, producing a blast that collapsed walls and started a fire in the town square.
Local reports say some victims were trapped under falling masonry after the explosion. The diocese for nearby Atlacomulco said two priests were hurt but are expected to survive. The diocese added on social media, "We join together in prayer for those who have lost their lives, their families and loved ones, as well as those who were injured and all those who are experiencing moments of pain and worry today."
Mexico’s Attorney General’s Office said the cause of the explosion has not yet been determined and that authorities have opened a formal investigation. Emergency teams remained at the site to treat the wounded and secure the area while investigators collect evidence and witness accounts.
The blast follows a pattern of deadly fireworks accidents in Mexico. In July 2018 an explosion at a fireworks factory in Tultepec killed 24 people, and a market blast in 2016 claimed 42 lives. Those previous disasters, and the latest blast in Temascalcingo, underline the hazards when large quantities of pyrotechnics are stored near populated or public buildings.
Local officials and investigators will now focus on how pyrotechnics came to be stored where they were, and whether organisers followed safety protocols for public celebrations. Families of the victims and the wider community face a period of recovery and demands for accountability as the probe proceeds.
