In the aftermath of an explosion in Hermosillo that killed at least 24 people, much of the initial shock has turned to anger and calls for justice.
On Nov. 1, as the city prepared for a weekend of Día de Muertos celebrations, the lights went off suddenly in Hermosillo’s downtown. Moments later, the scene was chaos and horror, as flames leaped out of the facade of the Waldo’s discount store and shoppers ran for their lives.
The explosion and resulting fire killed six children 10 years old and under. Investigators believe the disaster was most likely related to a transformer located inside the store.
“I’m demanding justice so this doesn’t happen again — so that other mothers don’t have to feel the pain that I feel,” said Rosa Linda Ríos Trasviña, whose daughter was killed in the fire this month.
Her daughter, 25-year-old Waldo’s cashier Jesús Ana María Cortez Ríos, was planning to buy a house with her boyfriend soon and start a life together, her mother says.
Ríos Trasviña spoke during a recent march to the Sonoran capital’s government buildings. The incident pushes on a deep wound in Hermosillo: a 2009 day care fire that killed 49 children. Many chants and signs at the march, which began at a monument to the victims of the day care fire, linked the two disasters.
Government officials — from local leaders to Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum — are also calling for justice, as well as a thorough investigation into what caused the fire and who is responsible. The Sonora prosecutor’s office is investigating the incident.
Sonora Gov. Alfonso Durazo said there will be no impunity as his government takes stock of what happened.
“I will take the necessary decisions to make sure there is a before and after in this story,” Durazo said in a video on social media.
The head of the state civil protection service will be removed from his position for the duration of the investigation into the Waldo’s fire, Durazo said. The city of Hermosillo also removed the leader of its civil protection service. Both said they did so in an effort to ensure an impartial investigation.
Waldo’s has said on social media that it will continue providing funds to families of victims for medical costs and funeral expenses, and that it is working with local authorities. State officials said Waldo’s had closed all 68 of its stores in Sonora just after the fire.
Durazo, the Sonoran governor, acknowledged the scars the 2009 fire left on the community.
“That shadow weighs on our collective memory,” Durazo said.
For 16 years, activists have been demanding more accountability for the public officials accused of not doing enough to prevent the day care fire. At the protest in Hermosillo, the crowd was skeptical that there would be more accountability this time around.
“We want an impartial and objective investigation,” said Paty Duarte, a march leader and longtime activist. Her 3-year-old son was killed in the 2009 day care fire.
Several public officials have avoided serving time or had their sentences drastically reduced in connection to the 2009 fire, even after being accused or found guilty of negligence.
Marchers cast doubt on whether the state’s investigation would lead to justice — after what they see as a lack of accountability for the public officials who allowed the day care to operate, despite major safety issues with the building.
Protesters called for a structural change from city, state and federal government leaders to prevent disasters like the Waldo’s fire in the first place. Not enough has changed since the 2009 fire, Duarte says.
“How many more, how many more will die?” Duarte shouted into a megaphone to the crowd.
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