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An impressive explosion of fireworks at a church while hundreds of people were celebrating a patron saint festival in Mexico killed at least 10 people and left more than 60 injured, authorities reported on Sunday.
The use of fireworks in popular celebrations is an ancient Mexican tradition that has occasionally led to tragedies, due to uncontrolled blasts during festivities or fires in the places where they are produced, usually artisanal workshops.
The accident occurred Saturday night in the community of Santa María Canchesdá, State of Mexico (central), when pyrotechnic material stored in a space of the parish used as a storage room exploded, the local government indicated in a statement.
According to videos released by local press, the blast occurred while neighbors were celebrating the burning of the traditional bull in front of the church, made of cane and loaded with fireworks, which is carried on shoulders by members of the community.
Following a massive explosion, fire rose over the town square and people began to flee from the flames, according to the images.
"We heard the blast and (...) people started to scream," Marisol Urzúa, a 39-year-old resident of the town, recounted to AFP, who later saw "how people were running with their wounded."
The powerful explosion caused walls to collapse and destroyed neighboring premises, whose rubble allegedly crushed numerous attendees, according to local media.
"The house shook, the glass in the entrance broke and part of the ceiling fell," added Urzúa regarding the damage her house suffered.
Firefighters and numerous emergency units subsequently arrived at the scene to attend to the victims, amid the chaos and destruction.
This Sunday, the town square dawned cordoned off and turned into a disaster zone, with collapsed walls and structures and the town fair's mechanical rides damaged and surrounded by debris, AFP confirmed.
[Publicidad]