At least 10 killed in central Mexico fireworks blast during village festival

At least 10 people have been killed and at least 60 others wounded after fireworks detonated during a village festival in Santa Maria Canchesda, in the Temascalcingo municipality of central Mexico. The blast happened during a local ritual celebration involving a burning bull effigy, according to the supplied report. The explosion caused damage in the town square and left parts of the area covered in debris.

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Local authorities said the fireworks were ignited when the burning bull effigy set off a larger store of fireworks kept in the village church. Video from the scene showed revellers carrying a straw bull with fireworks attached, before the detonation. The blast knocked down walls and started a fire, while local media reported that some people were trapped under falling debris.

The diocese of the nearby municipality of Atlacomulco said two priests were injured but are expected to survive. The local government said the death toll stood at at least 10, with at least 60 wounded. The Attorney General's Office said the cause of the explosion has not yet been determined and that an investigation has been opened.

The diocese said it was praying for the dead, the injured and their families, reflecting the scale of the shock in the community. The incident has also renewed attention on the risks linked to fireworks used in public celebrations. Fireworks accidents have caused deadly incidents in Mexico before, particularly in places where pyrotechnics are used in festivals and markets.

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The report cited earlier fatal explosions in the country, including a 2018 blast at a fireworks factory in Tultepec that killed 24 people and another explosion two years earlier that killed 42 people in a market. Those cases underline the continuing safety concerns around the storage and handling of fireworks. For Temascalcingo and nearby communities, the immediate focus is likely to remain on the injured, the recovery of those trapped by debris and the investigation into how the fireworks were stored.

It is not yet clear what safety measures were in place at the church or how the larger stock of fireworks was kept. Authorities have not said whether the death toll could rise, and further official updates are expected as the inquiry continues.

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