MEXICO CITY: A festive holiday weekend turned into tragedy in northwestern Mexico on Saturday when a massive fire swept through a discount store in downtown Hermosillo, leaving at least 23 people dead and injuring a dozen others.
The blaze erupted as Mexico marked the Day of the Dead, a colourful annual celebration in which families honour and remember deceased loved ones.
Governor Alfonso Durazo of the state of Sonora, where Hermosillo is located, confirmed the casualties and said children were among the victims.
“I have ordered a thorough and transparent investigation to clarify the causes of the accident,” Durazo said in a video message posted on social media.
According to Gustavo Salas, the state’s attorney general, most of the victims died from inhalation of toxic gases, citing findings from the state’s forensic medical service.
The Sonora Red Cross said it deployed 40 personnel and 10 ambulances, making multiple trips to hospitals to transport the injured.
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President Claudia Sheinbaum expressed her condolences to the families of the victims in a post on X, saying she had dispatched federal support teams to assist local authorities and those affected.
“My heartfelt condolences to the families and loved ones of those who lost their lives,” she wrote.
Officials said the fire, which has since been extinguished, broke out at a branch of Waldo’s, a popular national discount store chain. Early reports suggest that an electrical failure may have triggered the blaze, though the cause has not yet been confirmed.
City authorities clarified that the store was not the target of an attack, while the chief of the Hermosillo Fire Department said investigators were still determining whether an explosion had occurred inside the building.
