At least 31 people have been killed and some 72 others injured in a blast at a fireworks market in Mexico, on Tuesday, 20th December, 2016.

According to CEOAfrica’s source, Press TV, the explosion happened at the San Pablito fireworks market in Tultepec, about 32 kilometers north of Mexico City, on Tuesday.

The casualty toll may rise as rescue workers continue to search for victims at the site of the explosion. The army was deployed to help emergency crews transport the injured to hospitals via ambulances and helicopters.

The governor of Mexico State, Eruviel Avila, said that the current priority was to "tend to the injured. Seventy-two people were injured. Three minors are expected to be transferred to a hospital in Galveston, Texas, for treatment for extreme burns.”

*A fire-fighter walks amid the debris left by a huge blast that occurred in a fireworks market in Mexico City, on December 20, 2016.

"The sound of blasts started to go off and we thought it was a nearby fireworks workshop," a local was quoted by as saying. "My neighbours said they felt everything shake, but I didn't realize because I was running away," she said.

The town is known for its pyrotechnics industry and the huge San Pablito market is popular for fireworks sales. The market would have been especially crowded heading into the holidays as locals shopped for fireworks to mark Christmas and New Year celebrations.

The cause of the explosion is yet to be known.