At least eight people died this Monday due to a fire in the Central de Abasto de Toluca, capital of the State of Mexico, the most populous entity in the country and a neighbor of Mexico City.
The fire started around 2:30 a.m. local time after an explosion in Warehouse H, reported the Agencia Mexiquense de Noticias of the state public media system.
Although the authorities of the State of Mexico have not yet issued an official pronouncement, local media reported that an armed group allegedly caused the fire.
The place is cordoned off by elements of the state police and personnel from the Attorney General’s Office of the State of Mexico, which is investigating the causes of the fire.
The Central de Abasto de Toluca is one of the most important in central Mexico as it is located on a 630,000 square meter piece of land with 2,000 warehouses and commercial premises attended by a daily average of 40,000 people.
The State of Mexico, where almost 17 million people live, ranks second nationwide in homicides, with 917 murders in the first five months of the year.
Fires in the markets of the center of the country have gained notoriety in recent yearsincluding those allegedly caused by disputes over the crime.
The last one occurred last April at the Central de Abastos in Mexico City, considered the largest wholesale market in the world.
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