Policemen check the explosion site of the San Pablito fireworks market, in Tultepec, Mexico, Dec. 21, 2016. The death toll from Tuesday's explosion at the fireworks market near Mexico City climbed to 32, authorities said on Wednesday. (Xinhua/Str)
MEXICO CITY, Dec. 20 (Xinhua) -- Twenty six people were killed in a fireworks market explosion near Mexico City on Tuesday, said State of Mexico's chief prosecutor Alejandro Gomez.
Gomez raised the toll of the blast from the previous nine deaths, according to local television.
Earlier Tuesday, Mexican federal police said via Twitter that at least nine people were killed in an explosion Tuesday at the San Pablito fireworks market in Tultepec, a town in the State of Mexico close to the capital Mexico City.
Some 60 people were initially reported by Luis Felipe Puente, director of Civil Protection, to have been injured in the blast.
Firefighters and rescue teams from the state and capital converged at the site following the blast around 3 p.m. local time (0900GMT).
Images posted on social networks and news websites showed a thick column of grey smoke billowing high into the sky above the market.
In a video footage of the incident, apparently posted by a motorist driving by the scene, scores of firecrackers could be seen going off at once in different directions, as well as small explosions.
Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto expressed his condolences to the families of the victims, and said members of the army have joined the rescue efforts.
"I express my condolences to the families of those who lost their lives in this accident and my wishes for a speedy recovery for those injured," Pena Nieto posted on Twitter.
As many as 70 people have been injured, according to the Federal Police.
The injured have been taken to different hospitals.
