Two policemen inspect at the blast site in Tultepec Sept.15, 2005. (Xinhua/AFP photo)

MEXICO CITY, Sept. 15 (Xinhuanet) -- A series of explosions rattled a fireworks market on Thursday in the Mexican city of Tultepec, leaving over 100 people injured.

    The fireworks blew up in a market stall, northeast of Mexico City, sparking a chain of explosions in dozens of nearby stalls, according to local television reports. Thick smoke billowed out and formed a huge column which could be seen from several kilometers away.

    The accident occurred hours before Mexico's Thursday night Independence Day celebrations. Tultepec is one of the main centers  of fireworks production in Mexico.

    Also on Thursday, a chemical-waste treatment plant exploded after catching fire in Mexico's eastern state of Veracruz. Three hundred families were evacuated, said Veracruz Civil Protection Undersecretary Ranulfo Marquez Hernandez.

    The plant belonged to the firm Ecoltec, which is located in central Veracruz and incinerates toxic waste. Enditem