Explosions at multiple fireworks workshops north of Mexico City have killed at least 24 people and injured 49 others. It is the second deadly fireworks blast in the region this year.
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Multiple explosions at fireworks factories in Tultepec, a town north of Mexico City, claimed the lives of 24 people and injured 49 others on Thursday, officials said.
The attorney general's office for the state of Mexico, the country's most populous state, which surrounds the capital, said that 17 people had died at the blast site and seven died in the hospital.
The dead included eight Tultepec residents, four firefighters and two police officers who responded to the first blast, the state government said in a statement.
"Emergency crews attended the call at the first explosion when a second incident occurred, killing and injuring members of these groups," the statement read.
Unconfirmed videos of the incident circulated on social media.
The first explosion occurred at 9:40 in the morning local time (1440 UTC) and spread to other warehouses. Authorities said four small buildings were destroyed, and have suspended all fireworks sales in the area.
Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto sent his condolences to the victims' families on Twitter. He said the army and the interior ministry were supporting the state rescue efforts.
Common occurrence
Luis Felipe Puente, head of Mexico's civil defense agency, said there were four blasts in total, the first of which started at an unauthorized, clandestine warehouse and spread as flammable debris shot through the air.
Tultepec is known for making fireworks that Mexicans traditionally use to celebrate holidays. Many residents make a living selling homemade fireworks and explosions are common.
Last month, seven people were killed and eight injured in a similar blast in Tultepec. In December 2016, 42 people were killed and 70 injured at Tultepec's San Pablito market, the largest fireworks market in the country.
Safety measures at fireworks workshops have been a topic of debate in Mexico as authorities are unable to enforce safety regulations and regulation requirements. Regulations exist on paper, but many continue to make powerful firecrackers and bottle rockets and sell them to the public.
Mexican deportees return to home city they never knew
Under President Donald Trump more and more undocumented migrants are being deported. Many of them have spent half their lives in the US. Every week three planes of deportees arrive in Mexico City. Sanne Derks reports.
Image: DW/S. Derks
A bitter arrival
The planes arrive at a special gate at Mexico City airport. These undocumented migrants are deported from the detention centers in the US in handcuffs and put on planes. Twenty minutes before landing they are released.
Image: DW/S. Derks
Illegal alien
George Niño de la Riviera found out he was living illegally in the US when he turned 18 and applied for a job. He was told he did not have a social security number. He was taken to the US by his parents when he was a baby and grew up there. Five months ago he was deported, having spent the last 34 years in America. His four children are living with his ex-wife in Fresno.
Image: DW/S. Derks
A foreign country
Maria Herrera, 27, was deported on April 10. She was waiting for the renewal of her Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) visa when she got involved in a car crash. She was arrested and taken to jail where she was detained for two months, before being deported. She was three years old when she left Mexico — a country that is totally foreign to her.
Image: DW/S. Derks
Starting from scratch
She met George at New Comienzos, a non-profit organization that assists repatriated people, and they started dating. "It's great to have a special friend who went through all of this too," she told DW. Neither of them knew anything about Mexico. While in detention Maria suffered depression and anxiety attacks. Now they're trying to find their way around Mexico City.
Image: DW/S. Derks
Detained and deported
As a result of a fight he had in 2003 with an ex-girlfriend, Diego Miguel Maria, 37, was arrested and then deported in 2016.
Image: DW/S. Derks
"Dump Trump and his wall"
Along with five other recently deported Mexicans, he was able to qualify for funding from the Mexican government to start a textile printing press. They call their brand Deportados and print statements on bags and T-shirts like: "Dump Trump and his wall."
Image: DW/S. Derks
A helping hand
Diego's job won't make him rich, but it allows him time to volunteer and help new deportees at the airport. "I felt so lost when I got through that door. I think it is important to guide those who are in the same shoes," he told DW. The most difficult part was leaving his son behind, who lived with him before he was deported. His ex-wife doesn't allow him to maintain contact with his son.
Image: DW/S. Derks
Starting over
Daniel Sandovan was deported in February, but appears relaxed about it. "In America I could never really invest in a future, because I had no documents. What use is an education if nobody is going to hire? Here in Mexico I have the possibility to start over. I will be able to have a wife and children without fear of losing them," he told DW.
Image: DW/S. Derks
Settling in
Daniel lives in a home for refugees above the Deportados Brand print shop. A pastor in his church organized his initial stay with a 75-year-old woman who picked him up from the bus station in Mexico City. "I stayed [with her] for two weeks, painted the house, and then I contacted Deportados Brand, after I heard that they help migrants in the detention center. Now I live here with two others."
Image: DW/S. Derks
Looking on the bright side
Although most of them do not know where they'll be sent and worry that they could lose everything in a split second, the upheaval doesn't always end badly. "It feels like my life in the States was overshadowed by fear and sadness because of my legal status. Now there's less of a burden, as I am finally free and I feel at home," Maria told DW.
