At least 10 people have been killed and more than 60 injured after pyrotechnic material exploded during a patron saint festival in the town of Santa María Canchesda, in the municipality of Temascalcingo in central Mexico State, roughly 160 kilometres northwest of Mexico City. The blast occurred on Saturday night next to the Nuestra Señora de la Luz — Our Lady of Light — church, where hundreds of residents had gathered to watch a traditional fireworks display.

According to local accounts, the explosion was triggered when a burning bull effigy — a straw figure fitted with fireworks that participants carry through the crowd as part of a longstanding ritual — apparently ignited a larger stockpile of pyrotechnic material stored near the church. The resulting blast collapsed at least one wall and set off a fire in the town square, sending debris raining down on the crowd. Witnesses described scenes of chaos, with people pushing past one another to escape. "Everything exploded at once, right next to where the priest was leading the mass. It was terrifying," one witness said. "People were trampling the wounded trying to get out."

At least 64 people were treated in hospital for injuries including burns and bone fractures caused by falling rubble. Several of the most seriously wounded were transferred to specialist hospitals further away. Among the injured were children and two Catholic priests, whose diocese — the Diocese of Atlacomulco in the neighbouring municipality — said both are expected to survive. "We join together in prayer for those who have lost their lives, their families and loved ones," the diocese said in a statement.

Mexican authorities said the precise cause of the explosion had not yet been determined, and the Mexico State Attorney General's Office has opened a formal investigation.

The tragedy underscores a recurring danger in Mexico, where fireworks are deeply embedded in street celebrations and religious festivals. In 2016, an explosion at a fireworks market in Tultepec, north of Mexico City, killed 42 people; a blast at a fireworks factory in the same city in July 2018 killed a further 24. Firework-related accidents at smaller community events also occur regularly across the country. Saturday's explosion is among the deadliest such incidents in recent years, and will likely renew debate about safety standards governing the use and storage of pyrotechnics at public gatherings.