A religious procession in central Mexico turned into a scene of chaos when a vehicle packed with fireworks suddenly exploded, killing a teenager and injuring numerous others as families gathered in the street.
The blast happened Sept. 24 in San Francisco Tepojaco, a community in Cuautitlán Izcalli, about 20 miles northwest of Mexico City.
Residents had been taking part in activities connected to the community’s patron saint celebration honoring St. Francis of Assisi when pyrotechnics being transported inside a private vehicle ignited and exploded on Aldama Street, according to local authorities.
Video from the procession captured the horrifying moment.
Adults and children can be seen gathered along the street moments before the fireworks erupt. The force of the blast appears to knock the person recording off balance as people nearby begin screaming and scrambling for safety.
Additional fireworks could still be heard exploding after the initial blast.
A teenager identified in local reports as Alejandro González Trejo later died from his injuries at a hospital in Naucalpan.
Initial reports listed him as 15 years old, while some later Mexican outlets identified him as 16. Local coverage said Alejandro was an altar server and loved playing soccer.
The number of people injured also changed as authorities continued tracking victims who had been taken to different hospitals.
Early reports listed 10 or 11 injured, while later municipal reporting said as many as 23 or 24 people had been affected. Several of the victims were children.
Emergency crews from Cuautitlán Izcalli responded with help from neighboring municipalities, transporting the most seriously injured victims to hospitals for treatment.
One victim who had initially been reported missing was later found and hospitalized with burn injuries.
A foundation that specializes in helping children with severe burns also activated its emergency response protocol to assist injured minors and their families.
Photos from the aftermath showed the vehicle completely burned out in the middle of the street.
Authorities are now investigating exactly how the pyrotechnics ignited and who was responsible for transporting them.
The incident has also raised questions about whether the procession should have been happening at all.
Cuautitlán Izcalli Mayor Daniel Serrano said the Sept. 24 procession was not covered by the municipal authorization process for the upcoming patron saint festivities.
According to Serrano, organizers had submitted paperwork for activities beginning later, meaning the procession involved in the explosion was not included in the approved schedule.
Local authorities also said the pyrotechnics themselves had not gone through the proper municipal permitting process.
The tragedy came only weeks after another deadly pyrotechnics explosion elsewhere in the State of Mexico, underscoring the danger surrounding the transport and use of large quantities of fireworks.
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