At least 23 dead after explosion at Mexico store; what triggered the fire?

A fire broke out on Saturday (local time) at a Waldo's discount store in Hermosillo, located in Sonora, Mexico, killing at least 23 people and injuring about a dozen people, officials said.

"Sadly a number of the victims we’ve found were minors,” Alfonso Durazo, Governor of Sonora, said in a video message on X confirming the death toll.

This tragedy comes amid Mexico's Day of the Dead celebrations taking place this weekend, in which families take part in festivities that honour their deceased loved ones.

"I have instructed all state government agencies to provide comprehensive support, including medical, psychological, and social assistance," Durazo added in the video message, adding that an investigation was launched to determine the cause of the tragedy.

After various officials ruled out an arson attack or violence as possible causes for the event, the Sonora Attorney General's Office said in a statement that the cause of the explosion could have been an electrical failure.

The statement added that the authorities were investigating a transformer located inside the commercial establishment as the possible origin point of the explosion that caused the fire.

Firefighters are currently removing debris inside the store. The authorities have said that once this process is over, and the area is deemed safe, experts will be brought in to probe the cause of the explosion further.

"My deepest condolences to the families and loved ones of the people who died in the fire that occurred in a store in downtown Hermosillo," Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said on X, adding that she had instructed Durazo and Secretary of the Interior Rosa Icela Rodriguez to offer support to the families, as well as the authorities investigating the tragedy.

 

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