This article is about the 1988 disaster. For the 2016 disaster, see 2016 San Pablito Market fireworks explosion.
Mexico City fireworks disaster
Date
December 12, 1988
Time
14:30 CST
Venue
La Merced Market
Location
Mexico City, Mexico
Type
Fireworks accident
Deaths
At least 62
Non-fatal injuries
Up to 83
On December 12, 1988, an explosion and subsequent fire triggered by illegal fireworks at the La Merced Market in La Merced, a neighborhood of Mexico City, killed more than 60 people.
The fireworks accident took place at about 14:30 local time,[1] in an alley next to the main market.[2]El País reported that the fire began when a gas cylinder used by a street food vendor exploded.[3] According to one witness, a single crate of fireworks initially exploded, which triggered a chain reaction of more exploding firework crates.[4] The fireworks immediately sparked a fire that spread to several nearby buildings containing shops and apartments, as well as almost 300 stalls in the marketplace.[1][2] Fires continued for most of the rest of the day.[4]
By nightfall on the 12th, 51 people had been confirmed dead by the Red Cross, with up to 83 injuries.[4] By the 13th, the death toll had reached at least 60, with the fire department saying that 62 people had died and the police putting the number at 64.[1]
In response to the disaster, Mexico city mayor Manuel Camacho Solis ordered the sale and use of fireworks in the city to be made illegal; previously, vendors selling fireworks were required to have a permit, while their use was unregulated.[1] Local reaction to the ban was skeptical, as residents said that illegal fireworks vendors frequently bribed local officials, who then ignored complaints about the situation.[1]
^ abcde"Mexico City Bans Fireworks; Blaze Toll at 62". The Los Angeles Times. December 13, 1988. Retrieved December 22, 2016.
^ ab"At Least 52 Killed in Mexico City In Fireworks Explosion and Blaze". The New York Times. December 12, 1988. Retrieved December 22, 2016.
^Caño, Antonio (December 13, 1988). "Tragedia en México al incendiarse un alamacén de cohetes". El País (in Spanish). Retrieved August 11, 2018.
^ abc"Fireworks Blast in Mexico City Kills 51". The Los Angeles Times. December 12, 1988. Retrieved December 22, 2016.
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