Mexico fireworks explosion claims at least 14 lives

  • 10/05/2017

At least 14 people have been killed, including five children, and scores more were injured in an explosion at a house where fireworks were stored in central Mexico's Puebla state, authorities said.

The blast occurred on Monday night (local time) in San Isidro, Chilchotla, during preparations for a local festival next week.

"A group of people lived in the house where the pyrotechnic material was stored for use in the festivities," the government of Puebla explained in a statement.

"A firework launched by someone outside [the house] fell on top of the fireworks, causing the explosion that knocked down the home."

Nine people were killed on the spot and five more died after being taken to nearby hospitals. Earlier, 30 people were reported injured.

A senior official in the Puebla state government, Diodoro Carrasco, told a local radio station that despite state laws on storing fireworks it was difficult to prevent these types of accidents.

A series of massive explosions destroyed a fireworks market outside the Mexican capital in December, killing at least 35 people, injuring dozens and leaving the market a charred wasteland.

Reuters