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Dozens killed in Mexican firework market blast

Dozens of doctors, rescuers and firemen are working on site

© AP Photo/Eduardo Verdugo

MEXICO, December 21. /TASS/. At least 27 people were killed in a blast at a fireworks market in Tultepec, Mexico, the region’s chief prosecutor Alejandro Gomez said.

A similar estimate was made earlier in the day by the online edition of the La Jornada paper, which cited local rescue authorities.

Huge explosion at fireworks factory in #Tultepec, #Mexico.
- Mulitiple people dead
- Around 60 injured
Fires burning near scene
vidtelevisa pic.twitter.com/IC2Jc8peOe
— Navy⚓️Brat (@RavenHUWolf) 20 December 2016

Gomez, who visited the site of the tragedy along with the state’s governor, Eruviel Avila, vowed to "find those responsible."

The cause of the tragedy is unknown. Dozens of doctors, rescuers and firemen are working on the site.

According to previous police casualty reports, at least nine people died and 70 injured.

Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto expressed his condolences to the families of those killed. He vowed state assistance to the victims of the blast.

Incidents involving pyrotechnics are common in Tultepec, about 40 kilometers (about 25 miles) north of the capital Mexico City. The city is the Mexico state’s main firework production center.

In October, one person was killed in a pyrotechnic workshop blast. In April and March, similar accidents claimed the lives of at least five people and injured others, including children.

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