Explosion and hearth at comfort retailer kills a minimum of 23 in northern Mexico

A fireplace and explosion at a comfort retailer in northern Mexico on Saturday killed a minimum of 23 folks, together with kids, and injured 12 others, native officers mentioned.

The hearth occurred in downtown Hermosillo, the capital of Sonora state, Gov. Alfonso Durazo mentioned in a video posted on social media.

“Sadly, plenty of the victims we have discovered had been minors,” he mentioned, including that the folks injured had been taken to native hospitals in Hermosillo.

“I’ve ordered an intensive and clear investigation to find out the causes of the incident and determine these accountable,” Durazo mentioned.

Sonora Legal professional Basic Gustavo Salas Chávez mentioned preliminary investigations confirmed the deaths had been attributable to “inhalation of poisonous gases,” the Related Press reported.

“At the moment, we now have no indication that leads us to presume the hearth was intentional,” he mentioned, noting authorities had not dominated out any line of investigation.

Photos circulating on social media present an enormous hearth engulfing the Waldo’s retailer. One video confirmed a burned man collapsing onto the asphalt just a few yards from the shop entrance.

“No one will face this ache alone. From the very first moments, emergency, safety and well being providers responded with nice professionalism and dedication, controlling the scenario and saving lives,” Durazo mentioned.

Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum expressed her condolences on socia media “to the households and family members of those that died.”

“I’ve been in touch with the Sonora governor, Alfonso Durazo, to offer assist the place wanted. I’ve instructed Inside Secretary Rosa Icela Rodriguez to ship a assist staff with the intention to help the households and the injured,” she continued.

Mexican media experiences mentioned prospects sought refuge inside the shop after the explosion, solely to grow to be trapped by the flames.

Newspaper El Common mentioned the explosion occurred round 2:00 p.m. and that close by companies opted to shut their doorways to forestall the hearth from spreading there.

Native authorities urged members of the general public to keep away from the world of the explosion, and canceled celebrations scheduled to be held that day in honor of the Day of the Lifeless vacation.