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At least 10 dead in central Mexico festival fireworks blast

23 hours ago

A burning straw bull effigy set off stored fireworks during a village festival in Temascalcingo, central Mexico, killing at least 10 and wounding 60.

At least 10 people died and around 60 were hurt when a cache of fireworks blew up during a village celebration in central Mexico on Saturday, local authorities said. The blast tore through Santa Maria Canchesda, a community in the Temascalcingo municipality.

According to accounts gathered by AFP, the disaster began with a traditional part of the festivities. Footage from the scene captured people parading a bull built from straw, with fireworks shooting out of the figure as they carried it. The flaming effigy is believed to have set off a much larger supply of fireworks kept inside the village church.

The resulting explosion was powerful enough to bring down walls and start a blaze in the town square. Local reports described several victims pinned beneath debris that collapsed in the blast.

The celebration was described as a customary ritual for the village. Such festivals across Mexico often feature pyrotechnics, and communities frequently store the materials nearby for the events.

Two priests among the injured

The Catholic diocese covering the neighbouring municipality of Atlacomulco confirmed that two of its priests were hurt in the incident. Both are expected to recover, the diocese said.

In a message posted on social media, the diocese offered prayers for the dead and their relatives, along with the wounded and everyone left grieving or fearful in the aftermath. "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," it wrote.

Mexico's Attorney General's Office said it had not yet established what triggered the explosion. Investigators have opened a formal inquiry into the events.

A recurring danger

The tragedy is the latest in a series of deadly fireworks accidents in the country. In July 2018, a blast at a pyrotechnics plant in Tultepec, a city north of Mexico City, claimed 24 lives.

Two years before that, an explosion ripped through a fireworks market in the same city, killing 42 people.

Authorities have not said whether any arrests will follow the latest incident, and the toll could change as rescue efforts continue and the injured are treated.

Mexico fireworks explosion, Temascalcingo blast, Santa Maria Canchesda, burning bull effigy, festival explosion Mexico, Atlacomulco diocese, Mexico village festival

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