Fireworks explosion kills 4, injures 5 in Mexico State

MEXICO CITY – A fireworks explosion in Mexico has killed four people and sent five more to the hospital days after the country’s holiday season kicked off in earnest.

The State of Mexico says in a statement that the Friday morning blast in the town of San Lorenzo Octeyuco damaged four of six buildings on a property where fireworks were being made and stored. It did not give a cause.

Fireworks are a mainstay of holidays in Mexico including Christmas, New Year’s and this week’s celebrations of the Virgin of Guadalupe.

However explosions are relatively common amid what is widely criticized as lax safety practices and oversight of the industry.

On Dec. 20, 2016, a massive, chain-reaction blast ripped through an open-air fireworks market outside Mexico City, killing at least 36.