MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - Two explosions at fireworks workshops outside Mexico City on Thursday killed at least 19 people, including rescue workers, and injured dozens more, officials said, in the latest deadly blast to hit a town known for its fireworks production.

After a first blast in the municipality of Tultepec, firefighters, police and other rescue workers arrived at the scene when a second explosion occurred, the state government said in a statement.

“Emergency crews attended the call of the first explosion, when a second incident occurred, killing and injuring members of these groups,” the statement said.

Television images showed a plume of smoke rising over buildings on the outskirts of Tultepec and scores of firefighters and rescue workers at the scene.

Luis Felipe Puente, the head of Mexico’s civil protection agency, told local television there were at least 19 fatalities and 40 people injured.

There has been a series of blasts at the fireworks markets, workshops and depots in Tultepec, about 20 miles (32 km) north of Mexico City, including a series of massive explosions in a market in December 2016 that killed around three dozen people.

Puente said the sale of fireworks in the area would be suspended and the permits of manufacturers would be reviewed. </s> A pair of explosions at a fireworks factory just outside of Mexico City has killed at least 19 people and injured many more. The explosions occurred in Tultepec, a city with roughly 100,000 people located approximately 26 miles north of Mexico City.

Video of the massive smoke plumes from the factory was broadcast on Foro TV, shown below.

According to a statement provided to Reuters, rescue workers and firefighters were converging on the site of the 9:30 a.m. explosion when a second explosion occurred, injuring and killing additional people, including rescue workers.

Mexico civil protection agency head Luis Felipe Puente said there have been at least 19 confirmed fatalities and 40 injured. Mexico’s Interior Minister said one of the deceased was a minor. A cause for the blasts is currently unknown.

Mexico President Enrique Peña Nieto issued a statement on Twitter about the strategy.

In translation: “I deeply regret the loss of life in the explosion that occurred in #Tultepec. I send my condolences to the families of the deceased and I wish prompt recovery to those who were injured. PcSegob and @SEDENAmx support the @edomex in emergency attention.”

Tultepec Is Known for its Fireworks Production in Mexico & has had Multiple Tragic Fireworks Accidents Before

On December 20, 2016, an explosion at Tultepec’s San Pablito Market killed at least 42. A rocket exploded in the market causing 300 tons of fireworks that were in the market at the time to explode. An additional 84 victims were injured.

Two previous explosions, once in 2005 and another in 2006, caused dozens of injuries but no deaths.

The latest tragedy in Tultepec caused a police officer to speak out about the culture surrounding fireworks in the area.

“People here insist on continuing to make fireworks. It’s their tradition. But they don’t gage the consequences of these tragedies. It’s infuriating, because our firefighter colleagues… end up dead saving these people,” he said in a statement to AFP, published by Yahoo!

More than half of Tultepec residents work in the fireworks industry, and the city is responsible for roughly half of the country’s fireworks production. Every year, 100,000 people flock to the National Pyrotechnic Festival in Tultepec, a festival that originated as a celebration for the John of God, the patron saint of fireworks. </s> MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - Two explosions at fireworks workshops outside Mexico City on Thursday killed at least 24 people, including rescue workers, and injured dozens more, officials said, in the latest deadly blast to hit a town known for its fireworks production.

After a first blast in the municipality of Tultepec, firefighters, police and other rescue workers arrived at the scene when a second explosion occurred, the state government said in a statement.

“Emergency crews attended the call of the first explosion, when a second incident occurred, killing and injuring members of these groups,” the statement said.

Television images showed a plume of smoke rising over buildings on the outskirts of Tultepec and scores of firefighters and rescue workers at the scene.

The attorney general’s office for the state of Mexico, the country’s most populous state which rings the capital, said that 17 people had died at the blast site and another seven died in hospital.

Another 49 people were injured, the statement added.

A series of blasts have taken occurred at the fireworks markets, workshops and depots in Tultepec, about 20 miles (32 km) north of Mexico City, including massive explosions in a market in December 2016 that killed around three dozen people.

Luis Felipe Puente, the head of Mexico’s civil protection agency, said the sale of fireworks in the area would be suspended and permits of manufacturers would be reviewed. </s> Television images showed a flurry of pyrotechnics exploding into the early afternoon sky as a giant plume of smoke rose above the market. Fireworks detonated in a peal of clattering bursts reminiscent of a war zone.

The technicolor blast was the third such explosion in just over a decade to hit the popular San Pablito marketplace in Tultepec, about 20 miles (32 km) north of Mexico City. The detonations struck in the run-up to the busy Christmas holiday when many Mexicans stock up on fireworks.

"People were crying everywhere and desperately running in all directions," said 20-year-old witness Cesar Carmona.

Some 13 children suffered burns to over 90 percent of their bodies and were being sent to the U.S. city of Galveston in Texas for treatment, said Eruviel Avila, the governor of the State ofMexico where Tultepec is located. He put the death toll at 29.

Avila also vowed to find and punish those responsible for the blast and provide economic assistance to those who had lost their livelihoods.

Isidro Sanchez, the head of Tultepec emergency services, said a lack of sufficient safety measures was the likely cause of the blast.

The federal police said it had sent a forensic team to investigate the incident, adding that at least 70 people had been injured. Videos from the scene showed people frantically fleeing, while aerial footage revealed blackened stalls and a flattened tangle of metal and wood.

Over 80 percent of the 300 stalls at the market were destroyed by the explosion, said state official Jose Manzur. Local media reported there were 300 tonnes of fireworks at the market at the time of the explosion.

Federico Juarez was present when the first explosion rocked the market.

"Everyone started running to escape as bricks and pieces of concrete fell everywhere," said Juarez.

The blast is the latest in a long-running series of fatal explosions and industrial accidents that have roiled Mexico's oil, gas and petrochemical industries.

A blast struck the Tultepec fireworks market in September 2005 just before independence day celebrations, injuring many people. Almost a year later, another detonation gutted the area again.

"I offer my condolences to the relatives of those who lost their lives in this accident and my wishes for a speedy recovery for the injured," President Enrique Pena Nieto said in a tweet.

Pena Nieto is the former governor of the State of Mexico, the country's largest which surrounds the capital. </s> Earlier today, fireworks explosions outside of Mexico City killed at least 19 people, and injured dozens of others, Fox News reports.

The accident occurred at a fireworks workshop north of the capitol, in the municipality of Tultepec. Nineteen people were killed as a result of two separate explosions, including four firefighters and two law enforcement officers who were killed by the second blast, while they were responding to the first.

Luis Felipe Puente, a government worker at Mexico’s civil protection agency, relayed to local media that close to two dozen people had been killed, and 40 had been injured (differing numbers of injured people are being reported by various news outlets). In total, Puente said there had been four explosions.

Even worse, it seems that these explosions occurred at an unauthorized, illegal fireworks workshop, with the explosions spreading as flammable materials were spread from the blasts. Speaking to Milenio news network, Puente elaborated on the timeline of the accident.

While it will take some time for all the damage and casualties to be assessed, initial reports paint a rather grim picture. As reported by CBS News, video footage shot from a nearby road shows massive plumes of smoke rising up from Tultepec and the surrounding area. Other images captured by local news agencies show destroyed buildings, as well as scorched ground and farm land.

Similar to the police officers and firefighters killed in the blast, the Mexican government has stated that other first responders were injured in the line of duty. Helicopters were dispatched to transport those wounded to local hospitals. More than 300 law enforcement officers were dispatched to the scene.

Unfortunately, this is not the first time that Tultepec has been subjected to accidents of this nature. The area has become a noted location for fireworks, with many of the town’s residents earning a living by manufacturing and distributing homemade fireworks.

Consequently, explosions have become a common occurrence. Just last month, seven people were killed and eight injured from a fireworks blast. In December of 2016, a massive fire broke out at an outdoor fireworks market, which was filled with holiday shoppers. Several dozen people were killed as a result.

Safety measures and rules at fireworks markets and workshops have been a constant source of debate in the region. While laws and regulations have been signed into effect, it seems that clandestine manufacturers continue to skirt and ignore the laws. </s> At least 17 people have been killed and at least 31 injured in two explosions that ripped through fireworks workshops just north of Mexico City, in the latest in a series of deadly blasts to hit the area. 



The dead included four firefighters and two police officers who rushed to the scene after the first explosion, only to be killed by the second blast.

Many residents in the town of Tultepec make a living by fabricating and selling homemade fireworks, and explosions are a regular occurrence.

In June, seven people were killed and eight injured in a blast in the town.



At least 31 people were killed in December 2016, when a massive fire set off a chain reaction at an open-air fireworks market in the town.

Safety measures at fireworks workshops and markets have been a matter of constant debate in Mexico. While regulations exist on the books, many continue making powerful firecrackers and bottle rockets and sell them to the public. </s> Mexico: Two explosions at a fireworks workshop outside Mexico City have killed at least 19 people, including rescue workers, and injured dozens more, in the latest deadly blast to hit a town known for its fireworks production.

After a first blast in the municipality of Tultepec, firefighters, police and other rescue workers arrived at the scene when a second explosion occurred, the state government said in a statement on Thursday.

"Emergency crews attended the call of the first explosion, when a second incident occurred, killing and injuring members of these groups," the statement said.

Television images showed a plume of smoke rising over buildings on the outskirts of Tultepec and scores of firefighters and rescue workers at the scene. </s> MEXICO CITY (AP) - Several people have been injured in two explosions that ripped through fireworks workshops just north of Mexico City.

The government of the State of Mexico said Thursday it was still checking reports that some had died.

The victims may include emergency personnel because firefighters and paramedics were attending to victims of one blast when a second explosion occurred nearby.

Many residents in the town of Tultepec make a living by fabricating and selling homemade fireworks, and explosions are a regular occurrence.

In June, seven people were killed and eight injured in a blast in the town.

In December 2016, a massive fire at an open-air fireworks market killed several dozen people. </s> Seventy-two people were injured, said Eruviel Avila, governor of the State of Mexico.

Three minors are expected to be transferred to a hospital in Galveston, Texas, for treatment of extreme burns after the blast in Tultepec, about 40 kilometers (about 25 miles) north of Mexico City.

Video captured flashes of fire and what appeared to be fireworks exploding. A witness told CNN that people ran for their lives. The death toll climbed throughout the evening.

The cause was not immediately known.

Jose Luis Tolentino said he was in traffic and heard loud noises. Some of the people who tried to get away tripped in the frantic dash, he said. Complete devastation at the scene of a fireworks explosion at a market in Tultepec, Mexico. Authorities say that dozens are dead and injured. Scenes of destruction are what remain from the fireworks explosion that took place in Tultepec, Mexico, on December 20. People are left to search and make sense of the damage after dozens have been confirmed dead. Rescue workers try to grapple with the embers and destruction left behind from a fireworks explosion at a market in Tultepec, Mexico. Firefighters comb through the destruction left behind after a powerful fireworks blast rocked a market in Tultepec, Mexico, on December 20. Dozens are dead and injured after a fireworks explosion in Tultepec, Mexico, on December 20. Soldiers and locals are working to grapple with the widespread devastation, which left copious amounts of smoke hovering above Mexico City. Survivors navigate the rubble left behind after the fireworks blast in Tultepec, Mexico. Firefighters confront the chaos left behind by the fireworks blast in Tultepec, Mexico, which left dozens dead or wounded. A horrifying scene: A fireworks explosion at a market in Tultepec, Mexico, has left destruction and anguish in its wake. Tolentino said the fireworks market is the size of a soccer stadium. Pyrotechnics are a major industry in Tultepec. In 2005, a large explosion took place at the same fireworks market. That blast injured many people and caused enormous damage. Emergency responders were at the charred scene and assessing the damage Tuesday, Luis Felipe Puente, coordinator of Mexico's national civil protection agency, told CNN affiliate FOROtv. Photos from Red Cross Mexico showed the devastation and paramedics on the scene.
An explosion at a fireworks market in the city of Tultepec near Mexico City, kills at least 29 people and injures at least 70 others. Pyrotechnics is a major industry in Tultepec.