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A firefighter extinguishing a fire
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People searching through debris
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Eruviel Ávila Villegas (far left) and Enrique Peña Nieto visiting an injured person
19°40′6″N 99°7′37″W / 19.66833°N 99.12694°W
Date | 20 December 2016[1] |
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Time | ~15:00 CST (21:00 UTC) [1] |
Venue | San Pablito Market [2] |
Location | Tultepec, State of Mexico, Mexico [2] |
Type | Fireworks accident [2] |
Cause | Likely gunpowder explosion [3] |
Deaths | 42 [4] |
Non-fatal injuries | 84 [5] |
Missing | 12 [6] |
On 20 December 2016, a fireworks accident occurred at the San Pablito Market in the city of Tultepec, north of Valley of Mexico. [2] [7] [8] At least 42 people were killed in the explosion, [4] and dozens injured. [5]
Tultepec has a major fireworks culture and industry, [9] with a two hundred-year history of fireworks production. [10] About 65% of the population of the town is directly or indirectly involved in fireworks production. [10] According to the Instituto Mexiquense de la Pirotecnia, 436 fireworks workshops or retailers were registered in the Tultepec municipality. [10] San Pablito Market is a major center for Mexican handcrafted fireworks. [2] The city had implemented new safety measures in the market following firework-related explosions in 2005 and 2006. [1]
External videos | |
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Explosion at Mexico fireworks market, The Guardian. |
The cause of the explosion is unknown, but sources preliminarily claimed that gunpowder from the fireworks ignited the explosion. [3] Up to 300 tonnes of fireworks were reported to have been present at the market. [11] The explosion occurred at approximately 15:00 CST (21:00 UTC). [1] As of 24 December, at least 36 people died, [5] with at least 84 more injured. [5] Of the dead, 26 died at the site of the explosion and the remaining at the hospital. [12] Of the injured, 46 individuals were hospitalized, five of whom were in critical condition. [12]
Six children were among the injured, including a girl with burns to over 90% of her body. [13] Once they were stable and guardians had been contacted, these children were planned to be transferred to Shriners Hospital for Children in Galveston, Texas, United States, to be treated. [13] Nearby homes were damaged significantly [14] and much of the market was leveled in the explosion. [15]
José Manzur, representing the government of the State of Mexico, stated that all funeral and medical bills of those killed and injured will be paid for by the government. [12] President Enrique Peña Nieto offered his condolences and ordered federal agencies to coordinate with state authorities to help the families of those affected, particularly in medical care. [16] Germán Galicia Cortes, the president of San Pablito Market, said that vendors would receive government assistance to help cover their losses, and pledged to re-open the market. [17] The office of the federal attorney general began an investigation into the incident, with forensic investigators deployed to the site on 21 December. [18]