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Fireworks blast kills at least 11 Catholic pilgrims in Mexico

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Soldiers and police inspect the site of an explosion in the village of Jesus Tepactepec
Stringer/mexico  /  REUTERS
Soldiers and police inspect the site of an explosion in the village of Jesus Tepactepec, near the state capital Tlaxcala, March 15, 2013. REUTERS/Imelda Medina
updated 3/15/2013 10:32:35 PM ET 2013-03-16T02:32:35

TLAXCALA (Reuters) - At least 11 people were killed and 36 others injured on Friday when a truck containing fireworks exploded in a freak accident in the central Mexican state of Tlaxcala, casting a pall over a Catholic procession in honor of a local patron saint.

The explosion was ignited when a stray firework fell into a truck carrying more fireworks, said Jose Mateo Morales, director of emergency services for Tlaxcala state.

The fireworks were set to be used in a ceremony honoring Jesus Tepactepec, patron saint of a village named after him in the municipality of Nativitas. The blast happened on the highway just outside the village.

(Reporting by Imelda Medina, Lizbeth Diaz and Adriana Barrera; Writing by David Alire Garcia; Editing by David Brunnstrom)

(c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2013. Check for restrictions at: http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp

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