19 killed in fireworks explosion in Mexico

At least 19 people lost their lives due to multiple gunpowder explosions in Tultepec, a city that is the hub of fireworks production in Mexico.

According to local publication, Mexico News Daily, authorities have estimated that 40 others were left injured in the blast.

The first blast that occurred in a fireworks workshop at area known as La Saucera on Thursday morning, was followed by another that claimed the lives of at least four firefighters and two Police officials.

Three rescue helicopters and hundreds of emergency relief personnel were on the site following the blasts.

The injured were transferred to hospitals in the nearby cities of Toluca, Cuautitlan, and Ecatepec.

With Tultepec known as the fireworks capital of Mexico, explosions are a fairly common incident.

On June 7, as many as seven people were killed, and eight people injured in an explosion in another fireworks workshop.

In December 2016, the local fireworks market was razed in explosions that had claimed the lives of 42 individuals.

In the past, local officials have complained that most of the fireworks workshops operate without the requisite permits from the Secretariat of Defense.