MEXICO CITY (CBSNewYork/AP) — An explosion ripped through Mexico’s best-known fireworks market on the northern outskirts of the capital Tuesday, killing dozens of people and injuring scores more while sending a huge plume of charcoal-gray smoke billowing into the sky.

The Mexico State Prosecutor says 29 people have been killed. CBS2 reported that at least 70 more were hurt.

“My condolences to the families of those who lost their lives in this accident and my wishes for a quick recovery for the injured,” said President Enrique Pena Nieto via Twitter.

Mis condolencias a los familiares de quienes perdieron la vida en este accidente y mis deseos de pronta recuperación para los lesionados. — Enrique Peña Nieto (@EPN) December 20, 2016

Sirens wailed and a heavy scent of gunpowder lingered in the air after the afternoon blast at the market, where most of the fireworks stalls were completely leveled. The smoking, burned out shells of vehicles ringed the perimeter, and first responders and local residents wearing blue masks over their mouths combed through the rubble and ash. Firefighters hosed down still-smoldering hotspots.

National Civil Protection Coordinator Luis Felipe Puente said some nearby homes were also damaged. The scene remained dangerous and he asked people not to come within 3 miles (5 kilometers) to avoid danger or hampering the emergency response. Puente added that there was no choice but to let any unexploded fireworks burn off.

The Mexican Red Cross said it sent 10 ambulances with 50 paramedics to the scene.

A fire engulfed the same market in 2005, touching off a chain of explosions that leveled hundreds of stalls just ahead of Mexico’s Independence Day. A similar fire at the San Pablito Market also destroyed hundreds of stands in September 2006.

Many in Mexico traditionally celebrate holidays — including Christmas and New Year’s — by setting off noisy firecrackers and rockets.

(TM and © Copyright 2016 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2016 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)</s>Smoke billows over the San Pablito fireworks market Tuesday on the northern outskirts of Mexico City.

Orlando Ruiz / Twitter</s>Tultepec, Mexico (CNN) Explosions ripped through a fireworks market north of Mexico City on Tuesday, killing at least 29 people.

People in neighboring towns reported that they could feel the ground tremble beneath their feet as fireworks stalls exploded in Tultepec, about 40 kilometers (25 miles) north of Mexico City.

The series of blasts sent huge plumes of smoke billowing into the sky.

Clouds of smoke rise from the San Pablito market in Tultepec, Mexico.

"Everything shook strongly," witness Ana Maria Alvarado told CNN en Español, with her arm wrapped around a friend.

"I have a family member who works here but I have not heard from him," she said.

Seventy-two people were injured, said Eruviel Avila, governor of the state of Mexico. Three minors are expected to be transferred to a hospital in Galveston, Texas, for treatment for extreme burns.

The town is known for its pyrotechnics industry and the huge San Pablito market is popular for fireworks sales. The market would have been especially crowded heading into the holidays as locals shopped for fireworks to mark Christmas and New Year celebrations.

The cause of the explosion was not immediately known.

Missing relatives

Holding up his cellphone to show a picture, a man standing alongside his family said that his niece's boyfriend still is missing.

"They haven't been able to identify him because he didn't have his ID. We've called the clinic and hospitals and they have not been able to give us any information," he told CNN en Español.

The family is sure he was at the market because his niece had spoken to him and he'd mentioned he was at a stall. "I tried to call and call but he never responded," she said.

People work to extinguish embers still burning in the debris from the explosion.

Her mom, Paulina, was with her when they heard the explosions.

The family has lived in Tultepec their entire lives and this is not the first time that the market has seen a situation like this.

"We have had occurrences before," said Paulina, "but not of this magnitude."

Authorities are trying to assist people in locating their loved ones.

Another man who spoke with CNN en Español said he was visiting his children when they all went to the market to buy fireworks.

His kids went one way; he and his granddaughter went another route. When he heard the explosion, he ran looking for his loved ones. He found them all, except for one, the baby. Soon, panic set in.

"We have called the ambulance, the Red Cross and no one has any information," he said as he wept. "No one knows anything."

Smoke

Witnesses told CNN that people ran for their lives as video captured flashes of fire and what appeared to be fireworks exploding. The death toll climbed throughout the evening.

Photos: Deadly explosion at fireworks market Fireworks explode from the San Pablito market in Tultepec, Mexico, on Tuesday, December 20. Authorities say dozens were killed in blasts at the market, which was especially busy with people buying fireworks for the holidays. Hide Caption 1 of 9 Photos: Deadly explosion at fireworks market A fireman holds a fire extinguisher as he and volunteers work to put out embers from the blast. Hide Caption 2 of 9 Photos: Deadly explosion at fireworks market Relatives react near the body of a victim killed in the explosion. Hide Caption 3 of 9 Photos: Deadly explosion at fireworks market A man throws water over burning debris. Hide Caption 4 of 9 Photos: Deadly explosion at fireworks market Rescuers and local volunteers search the debris for victims. Hide Caption 5 of 9 Photos: Deadly explosion at fireworks market A man works to extinguish the smoldering remains of the market. Hide Caption 6 of 9 Photos: Deadly explosion at fireworks market Rescuers and survivors gather amid the destroyed market. Hide Caption 7 of 9 Photos: Deadly explosion at fireworks market Soldiers and emergency responders investigate the ruins of the market. Hide Caption 8 of 9 Photos: Deadly explosion at fireworks market A firefighter rests on the back of a truck. Hide Caption 9 of 9

Luis Tolentino said he was in traffic when he heard loud noises. Some of the people who tried to get away tripped in the frantic dash, he said. A video from Red Cross Mexico showed the panic as people ran from the devastation.

The area is densely populated and witnesses from surrounding neighborhoods captured the huge volume of smoke that billowed into the sky.

Explosión en el mercado de cohetes Tultepec. A video posted by Anunnaki Enlil (@enlilanunnaki) on Dec 20, 2016 at 1:01pm PST

Emergency responders were at the scene and assessing the damage Tuesday, Luis Felipe Puente, coordinator of Mexico's national civil protection agency, told CNN affiliate FOROtv.

A fireman gestures to his colleagues as they work at the scene of the explosion.

Fireworks accidents are common in Mexico -- even more so at the end of the year and during religious festivals, according to a report by Mexico's National Pedagogic University.

An explosion at the same fireworks market in 2005 injured a large number of people and caused enormous damage.</s>A local resident dressed as a clown helps a firefighter at the scorched ground of Mexico's best-known fireworks market after an explosion explosion ripped through it, inTultepec, Mexico. (Photo: AP)

Tultepec, Mexico: A massive explosion gutted Mexico's biggest fireworks market Tuesday, killing at least 29 people and injuring 70, authorities said.

The conflagration, in the Mexico City suburb of Tultepec, set off a quick-fire series of multicolored blasts and a sent a vast cloud of smoke billowing over the capital city.

The market had been packed with customers buying pyrotechnics for traditional end-of-year festivities. Christmas and New Year's parties in many Latin American countries often wrap up with clattering firework blasts.

From a few kilometers (miles) away, the multiple explosions that started at 2:50 pm (2050 GMT) almost looked festive, alight in blue, red and white. They were anything but.

"We recovered 26 bodies at the scene of the incident. And three more have died in the hospital, for a total of 29 dead," Mexico state's governor Eruviel Avila said.

Federal police said on Twitter that 70 people were hurt and were transported to emergency rooms.

Fire crews struggled for three hours before bringing the blaze under control.

The head of the civil protection service, Luis Felipe Puente, said crews had to wait for all the fireworks to finish exploding before they could extinguish the flames.

"The entire market is gone," he said.

He added that several of the injured were in "delicate condition," and searches were under way for more casualties in the scorched area that looked like a scene from a post-apocalyptic film, with little left standing in the smoldering ruins.

Homes and vehicles nearby were also severely damaged. In some areas, authorities were gently probing for survivors under heaps of charred and twisted roofing material.

People desperately searching for family and friends shouted and gestured to rescuers about where they hoped their missing loved one might be found.

Most of those being picked up by rescuers had severe burns, many over their entire bodies.

The military, which is in charge of issuing fireworks sales permits, was deployed to help emergency crews transport casualties to hospitals by ambulance and helicopter.

Ambulances, fire trucks, police vehicles and army trucks all crowded the sprawling blast area.

Mexico's President Enrique Pena Nieto tweeted his condolences to the families of those killed and his wishes for recovery for those hurt.

The cause of the blast was under investigation. Some speculated it could have been mishandling of gunpowder or other fireworks components.

That was the cause of a September 15, 2005 explosion at another fireworks market set up ahead of the Independence Day holiday. That market was destroyed.

The following year, another explosion destroyed more than 200 sellers' stands. Both incidents left dozens of injured, but no fatalities.

Alejandra Pretel, a resident in Tultepec, told AFP that she didn't realize at first that the explosions were coming from the large fireworks market.

"We thought it was a nearby fireworks workshop," she told AFP.

But minutes later it became evident that it was the market being destroyed.

"My neighbors said they felt everything shake, but I didn't realize because I was running away," she said.</s>Seventy-two people were injured, said Eruviel Avila, governor of the State of Mexico.

Three minors are expected to be transferred to a hospital in Galveston, Texas, for treatment of extreme burns after the blast in Tultepec, about 40 kilometers (about 25 miles) north of Mexico City.

Video captured flashes of fire and what appeared to be fireworks exploding. A witness told CNN that people ran for their lives. The death toll climbed throughout the evening.

The cause was not immediately known.

Jose Luis Tolentino said he was in traffic and heard loud noises. Some of the people who tried to get away tripped in the frantic dash, he said. Complete devastation at the scene of a fireworks explosion at a market in Tultepec, Mexico. Authorities say that dozens are dead and injured. Scenes of destruction are what remain from the fireworks explosion that took place in Tultepec, Mexico, on December 20. People are left to search and make sense of the damage after dozens have been confirmed dead. Rescue workers try to grapple with the embers and destruction left behind from a fireworks explosion at a market in Tultepec, Mexico. Firefighters comb through the destruction left behind after a powerful fireworks blast rocked a market in Tultepec, Mexico, on December 20. Dozens are dead and injured after a fireworks explosion in Tultepec, Mexico, on December 20. Soldiers and locals are working to grapple with the widespread devastation, which left copious amounts of smoke hovering above Mexico City. Survivors navigate the rubble left behind after the fireworks blast in Tultepec, Mexico. Firefighters confront the chaos left behind by the fireworks blast in Tultepec, Mexico, which left dozens dead or wounded. A horrifying scene: A fireworks explosion at a market in Tultepec, Mexico, has left destruction and anguish in its wake. Tolentino said the fireworks market is the size of a soccer stadium. Pyrotechnics are a major industry in Tultepec. In 2005, a large explosion took place at the same fireworks market. That blast injured many people and caused enormous damage. Emergency responders were at the charred scene and assessing the damage Tuesday, Luis Felipe Puente, coordinator of Mexico's national civil protection agency, told CNN affiliate FOROtv. Photos from Red Cross Mexico showed the devastation and paramedics on the scene.</s>Television images showed a flurry of pyrotechnics exploding into the early afternoon sky as a giant plume of smoke rose above the market. Fireworks detonated in a peal of clattering bursts reminiscent of a war zone.

The technicolor blast was the third such explosion in just over a decade to hit the popular San Pablito marketplace in Tultepec, about 20 miles (32 km) north of Mexico City. The detonations struck in the run-up to the busy Christmas holiday when many Mexicans stock up on fireworks.

"People were crying everywhere and desperately running in all directions," said 20-year-old witness Cesar Carmona.

Some 13 children suffered burns to over 90 percent of their bodies and were being sent to the U.S. city of Galveston in Texas for treatment, said Eruviel Avila, the governor of the State ofMexico where Tultepec is located. He put the death toll at 29.

Avila also vowed to find and punish those responsible for the blast and provide economic assistance to those who had lost their livelihoods.

Isidro Sanchez, the head of Tultepec emergency services, said a lack of sufficient safety measures was the likely cause of the blast.

The federal police said it had sent a forensic team to investigate the incident, adding that at least 70 people had been injured. Videos from the scene showed people frantically fleeing, while aerial footage revealed blackened stalls and a flattened tangle of metal and wood.

Over 80 percent of the 300 stalls at the market were destroyed by the explosion, said state official Jose Manzur. Local media reported there were 300 tonnes of fireworks at the market at the time of the explosion.

Federico Juarez was present when the first explosion rocked the market.

"Everyone started running to escape as bricks and pieces of concrete fell everywhere," said Juarez.

The blast is the latest in a long-running series of fatal explosions and industrial accidents that have roiled Mexico's oil, gas and petrochemical industries.

A blast struck the Tultepec fireworks market in September 2005 just before independence day celebrations, injuring many people. Almost a year later, another detonation gutted the area again.

"I offer my condolences to the relatives of those who lost their lives in this accident and my wishes for a speedy recovery for the injured," President Enrique Pena Nieto said in a tweet.

Pena Nieto is the former governor of the State of Mexico, the country's largest which surrounds the capital.</s>Sirens wailed and a heavy scent of gunpowder lingered in the air after the afternoon blast at the market (Photo: AP)

TULTEPEC: A massive explosion that gutted Mexico's biggest fireworks market on Tuesday left at least 26 dead, an official said. "We recovered 26 bodies at the scene of the incident" in the Mexico City suburb of Tultepec, Mexico state prosecutor Alejandro Gomez told reporters at the site.

The conflagration, in the suburb of Tultepec, set off a quickfire series of multicolored blasts and a vast cloud of smoke that hung over Mexico City. Federal police said on Twitter that at least 70 people were injured.

"My condolences to the families of those who lost their lives in this accident and my wishes for a quick recovery for the injured," said President Enrique Pena Nieto via Twitter.

Sirens wailed and a heavy scent of gunpowder lingered in the air after the afternoon blast at the market, where most of the fireworks stalls were completely leveled. The smoking, burned out shells of vehicles ringed the perimeter, and first responders and local residents wearing blue masks over their mouths combed through the rubble and ash. Firefighters hosed down still-smoldering hotspots.

Crescencia Francisco Garcia arrived in the afternoon to buy fireworks and said she was near the middle of the grid of stalls when the explosions began around 2:30 p.m.

"All of a sudden it started booming," the 41-year-old Mexico City resident said. "I and the others surrounding me all took off running." Eventually Garcia was able to find her daughter, son-in-law and three grandchildren who were waiting in a car just inside the perimeter fence. The Mexican Red Cross said it sent 10 ambulances with 50 paramedics to the scene.

National Civil Protection Coordinator Luis Felipe Puente told Milenio television that some nearby homes were also damaged. The scene remained dangerous and he asked people not to come within 3 miles (5 kilometers) to avoid hampering the emergency response.

Fireworks continued to pop off long after the blast, and Puente added that there was no choice but to let any unexploded fireworks be consumed.

A fire engulfed the same market in 2005, touching off a chain of explosions that leveled hundreds of stalls just ahead of Mexico's Independence Day. A similar fire at the San Pablito Market also destroyed hundreds of stands in September 2006. Many in Mexico traditionally celebrate holidays - including Christmas and New Year's - by setting off noisy firecrackers and rockets.</s>The conflagration, in the Mexico City suburb of Tultepec, set off a quick-fire series of multi-coloured blasts and a sent a vast cloud of smoke billowing over the capital city.

The market had been packed with customers buying pyrotechnics for traditional end-of-year festivities. Christmas and New Year's parties in many Latin American countries often wrap up with clattering firework blasts.

From a few kilometres away, the multiple explosions that started at 22050 GMT almost looked festive, alight in blue, red and white. They were anything but.

"We recovered 26 bodies at the scene of the incident. And three more have died in the hospital, for a total of 29 dead," Mexico state's governor Eruviel Avila said.

The head of the civil protection service, Luis Felipe Puente, said crews had to wait for all the fireworks to finish exploding before they could extinguish the flames.

He added that several of the injured were in "delicate condition," and searches were under way for more casualties in the scorched area that looked like a scene from a post-apocalyptic film, with little left standing in the smoldering ruins.

Homes and vehicles nearby were also severely damaged. In some areas, authorities were gently probing for survivors under heaps of charred and twisted roofing material.

People desperately searching for family and friends shouted and gestured to rescuers about where they hoped their missing loved one might be found.

Most of those being picked up by rescuers had severe burns, many over their entire bodies.

The military, which is in charge of issuing fireworks sales permits, was deployed to help emergency crews transport casualties to hospitals by ambulance and helicopter.

Mexico's President Enrique Pena Nieto tweeted his condolences to the families of those killed and his wishes for recovery for those hurt.

The cause of the blast was under investigation. Some speculated it could have been mishandling of gunpowder or other fireworks components.

That was the cause of a September 15, 2005 explosion at another fireworks market set up ahead of the Independence Day holiday. That market was destroyed.

The following year, another explosion destroyed more than 200 sellers' stands. Both incidents left dozens of injured, but no fatalities.

Alejandra Pretel, a resident in Tultepec, told AFP that she didn't realize at first that the explosions were coming from the large fireworks market.

But minutes later it became evident that it was the market being destroyed.

"My neighbours said they felt everything shake, but I didn't realize because I was running away," she said.</s>The explosion took place in Tultepec, about 40 kilometers (about 25 miles) north of Mexico City, where pyrotechnics are a major industry. Emergency responders are at the scene and assessing the damage, Puente said.

Video from the explosion showed plumes of smoke in the air. Sirens could be heard in the background.</s>TULTEPEC, Mexico — A powerful chain-reaction explosion ripped through Mexico's best-known fireworks market on the northern outskirts of the capital Tuesday, killing at least 29 people, injuring scores more and sending a huge plume of charcoal-gray smoke billowing into the sky.

Video of the blast showed a dramatic staccato of rockets exploding in flashes of light, leveling the open-air San Pablito Market in Tultepec in Mexico State as it bustled with shoppers stocking up on fireworks to celebrate Christmas and New Year's.

Vendors' stands were reduced to piles of rubble, ash, and charred metal. It was the third devastating explosion and fire to ravage the market since 2005 and officials still have not said what caused this latest blast.

Crescencia Francisco Garcia said she was in the middle of the grid of stalls along with a few hundred others when the thunderous explosions began. She froze, reflexively looked up at the sky and then took off running through the smoke once she realized everyone was doing so. As she ran she saw people with burns and cuts, and lots of blood.

"Everything was catching fire. Everything was exploding," Francisco said. "The stones were flying, pieces of brick, everything was flying."

In comments broadcast on local TV news, Mexico State Gov. Eruviel Avila reported Tuesday night that in addition to the 26 people who perished at the market, three more victims died after being taken to hospitals. State Health Secretary Cesar Nomar Gomez Monge said 72 people were being treated for injuries including severe burns, in some cases over 90 percent of their bodies. Those hospitalized included 10 children.

Authorities said an investigation into the tragedy had been opened.

"We are going to identify who is responsible," Avila said.

Sirens wailed and a heavy scent of gunpowder lingered in the air well after the explosion at the market, where most of the stalls were destroyed. The smoking, burned out shells of vehicles ringed the perimeter, and first responders and local residents wearing blue masks over their mouths combed through the ash and debris. Firefighters hosed down still-smoldering hotspots.

Tultepec Mayor Armando Portuguez Fuentes said the market was especially well stocked because demand for noisy firecrackers and rockets soars this time of year.

"We are obviously in the high season," Portuguez said. "There was more product than usual because we are a few days away from Christmas, a few days away from New Year's, and those are the days when the products made here are consumed the most."

Cesar Ornelas of Atizapan de Zaragoza was only 10 minutes into shopping with his son and his father when he heard the first explosions. He tried to run, but something knocked him to the ground from behind. He tried several times to get up, unsuccessfully, and ultimately his 15-year-old son Francisco had to drag him out.

"We didn't look back," said Ornelas, who suffered light burns and a large bruise over his left kidney. His white tank top had a fist-size burn on the chest. "We heard how the explosion was kind of going off bit by bit."

Nearly four hours later, he and Francisco limped gingerly out of the market area. Francisco said paramedics told him his leg was likely fractured by flying debris. Ornelas said his 67-year-old father, Ernesto, had run in a different direction and sought refuge in a nearby home. All the father's clothing was burned, and his face and arm were bloodied. An ambulance had spirited him to a hospital, but Ornelas wasn't sure where it was or how serious his injuries were.

"My condolences to the families of those who lost their lives in this accident and my wishes for a quick recovery for the injured," President Enrique Pena Nieto said via Twitter.

A similar fire engulfed the San Pablito Market in 2005, touching off a chain of explosions that leveled hundreds of stalls just ahead of Mexico's Independence Day. A year later a similar incident at the same market also destroyed hundreds of stands.

Portuguez, the Tultepec mayor, said the manufacture and sale of fireworks is a key part of the local economy. He added that it is regulated by law and under the "constant supervision" of the Defense Department, which oversees firearms and explosives.

"This is part of the activity of our town. It is what gives us identity," Portuguez said. "We know it is high-risk, we regret this greatly, but unfortunately many people's livelihoods depend on this activity."

Deadly fireworks explosions have occurred with some regularity in Mexico: In 2002, a blast at a market in the Gulf coast city of Veracruz killed 29; in 1999, 63 people died when an explosion of illegally stored fireworks destroyed part of the city of Celaya; and in 1988, a fireworks blast in Mexico City's La Merced market killed at least 68.

Associated Press writer Christopher Sherman reported from Tultepec, Mexico, and Peter Orsi reported from Mexico City.
An explosion at a fireworks market in the city of Tultepec near Mexico City, kills at least 29 people and injures at least 70 others. Pyrotechnics is a major industry in Tultepec.