Fireworks Market Destroyed From Sympathetic Detonations

Tultepec, Mexico A series of explosions rocked the San Pablito fireworks market killing 35 and injuring as many as 50 others with reports of a dozen people still missing. Explosions lasted for nearly 20 minutes caused by a series of sympathetic detonations which jumped from one fireworks vendor to another destroying the market in the process.

An investigation is still underway to determine the exact cause but some local new sources are reporting that at least one witness reported seeing a boy light of a rocket in the market which he believes was the cause of the accident. However, the witness account has not been verified by authorities and no official announcement has been made yet regarding the cause.

The head of the Mexico's Pyrotechnics Institute, an agency that monitors the production and sale of fireworks, reported that the design of the market required 12-meter spacing between vendors to reduce the potential for sympathetic detonations. However, local new sources have reported that many vendors allegedly violated that requirement as they stocked up for the increased sales expected for the Christmas holiday.