At least 23 dead after Waldos store explosion in Hermosillo, Sonora

At least 23 people, including children, were killed and 11 wounded on Saturday when an explosion and subsequent fire ripped through a Waldos discount store in downtown Hermosillo, the capital of the northern Mexican state of Sonora, local officials said. The incident occurred during Day of the Dead weekend, a period of widespread family gatherings and public observances across the country.

State Governor Alfonso Durazo said in a video message that several of the victims were minors and that survivors were being treated at hospitals in Hermosillo. Sonora Attorney General Gustavo Salas Chávez said preliminary forensic work indicated many of the fatalities resulted from inhalation of toxic gases. He added that investigators had found no immediate evidence to suggest the blaze was intentional and that all lines of inquiry remained open.

Emergency services mobilized quickly after the explosion. Sonora's Red Cross dispatched about 40 personnel and 10 ambulances and made multiple trips to transport the injured to six different hospitals in the city, officials said. Images circulating after the event showed the front of the store charred and windows blown out; one video showed a badly...