Cuernavaca mayor admits city lacks power to inspect explosives sites; will seek federal aid

The mayor of Cuernavaca, José Luis Urióstegui, has admitted that the municipal government lacks the authority to inspect sites where explosives are stored and handled. This acknowledgment comes after a fatal explosion at a fireworks workshop in the Ocotepec neighborhood, which resulted in one death and ten injuries.

Urióstegui explained that the regulation, permitting, and oversight of pyrotechnics manufacturing are exclusively the responsibility of the Secretariat of National Defense (Sedena), a federal body. Consequently, municipal authorities are unable to intervene autonomously without a specific request or directive from federal agencies. This jurisdictional limitation leaves the city vulnerable, as it cannot proactively detect or prevent potential hazards related to explosives storage within its limits.

The incident in Ocotepec is not isolated; in March 2023, a similar explosion at a gunpowder storage facility in Totolapan, northern Morelos state, killed seven people and injured approximately 15. Investigations at that time revealed the facility lacked permits for handling explosives, and then-governor Cuauhtémoc Blanco had pledged a review of clandestine pyrotechnics production sites.

Despite the confirmed presence of a fireworks material storage area at the site of the recent explosion, attributed to operational negligence, the Cuernavaca mayor stressed the municipality's inability to identify similar clandestine deposits elsewhere in the capital. To address this gap in oversight and prevent future tragedies, Urióstegui announced plans to enhance coordination with federal authorities. The municipal government will only conduct inspections of fireworks workshops if formally requested or instructed by the competent federal bodies.

“

the municipality lacks the authority to supervise the spaces where explosives are stored and handled, as this is a federal competence.