1 dead, more than 40 hurt in Mexican candy factory explosion

An explosion inside a candy factory in the border city of Ciudad Juarez on Tuesday left one person dead and at least 40 injured, Mexican authorities said. Several workers remain missing.

The blast took place on the second floor of the Dulces Blueberry factory and caused the floor to collapse, injuring people working downstairs, said factory worker Ismael Bouchet.

Ciudad Juarez Civil Protection Director Fernando Mota said firefighters found a body inside and that six of the at least 40 injured are in serious condition. Several workers are missing and could be trapped inside the building, located in this city across the border from El Paso, Texas, he added.

Bouchet said people could smell acid in the area where the explosion occurred and that a steam boiler had been installed there recently.

“Since the morning, several co-workers said there was a bad smell, that it smelled of acid and because it was a new area we thought it was normal,” Bouchet said.

He said he saw several people with bone fractures and burns.

“I was able to help five people who walked out of the building but as soon as they were out they went into shock and fainted,” he said.

Photographs of workers being helped by paramedics showed people with injuries that resembled chemical burns.