A series of explosions ripped through a major open-air fireworks market outside Mexico City Tuesday, killing at least 33 people.
More than 70 people are being treated for various injuries and at least six are unaccounted for, authorities say.
The San Pablito market in Tultepec, about 40 kilometers north of Mexico City, is considered the largest in the country.
According to witnesses, the explosions were triggered after fireworks went off at a single stand in the market. Amateur video of the incident shows how the blasts spread quickly from one stall to another, creating a massive fire with smoke billowing high into the sky.
After an explosion in 2005, the market’s 300 stalls were deliberately separated to reduce the possibility that a spark could trigger a chain reaction. The fireworks market had been described only recently as the safest in Latin America.
President Enrique Peña Nieto held a minute’s silence for the victims Wednesday. The governor of the State of Mexico promised to pay the transportation and medical costs of some victims who will benefit from specialist treatment in Texas.
Once the smoke dissipated, rescue teams entered the site to discover that virtually nothing of the market remained. Some of the bodies were charred beyond recognition.