At least nine have tragically died after a fireworks explosion during church festivities in Santa Maria Canchesda, Mexico.

Axar.az reports, citing Daily Express US, that Media Oriente said that 24 people had been injured, but initial local reports indicated that upwards of 30 people may have been hurt from the blast. The explosion happened in Temascalcingo, and rescue teams continue working at the scene in Santa Maria Canchesda.

The blast took place while preparations were underway for the community's patron saint festivities, according to local reports.

A building adjacent to the church reportedly gave way after the explosion, prompting emergency services to deploy to the location to locate and help individuals potentially trapped under the debris.

Local disaster management authorities have been activated, with rescue personnel conducting operations at the site.

Civil Protection of the state of Mexico said it sent rescue teams to the site of the explosion, with personnel from both the locality itself and the nearby towns of Atlacomulco, Acambay, and El Oro, and has specified that the blast occurred around 9:00 PM on Saturday at local time.