An explosion at a fireworks warehouse in Mexico has killed at least 14 people and wounded 22 in the second such tragedy in a matter of months.

The blast occurred Monday night in a rural area of central Puebla state, Diodoro Carrasco, a senior official in the state government, told radio station Cinco Radio.

He said as many as 11 of the fatalities may be minors.

The explosion in the village of San Isidro, 270 kilometers (170 miles) east of Mexico City, came during preparations for a religious festival on May 15, the state government said.

There are people who live in the building where the fireworks were being stored, it said.

A blood stain is seen at the site of an explosion in a house where fireworks were stored in the town of San Isidro, Chilchotla, Mexico. (Photo by Reuters)

The blast was set off by a rocket fired from outside the building that struck the stored pyrotechnic material, the government said.

Army troops and government officials cordoned off the blast site as ambulances rush in to collect the wounded.

State Governor Antonio Gali Fayad, who plans to visit the scene of the accident, expressed his condolences overnight Monday as the scope of the tragedy became clear.