Several injured in pyrotechnics explosion during celebration in Centelles

At least 14 people were injured on Monday afternoon in a pyrotechnics explosion in the Catalan town of Centelles during the traditional Festa del Pi (Pine Tree) celebration.

Four fire engines, 12 ambulances and a helicopter attended the incident in the town in central Catalonia’s Osona county, with nine people taken to a Barcelona hospital.

The explosion occurred around noon, when some members of a local folklore group participating in the event were handling sacks of gunpowder in the town’s bell tower.

With the square below full of hundreds of people, the group's task was to announce the arrival of the pine tree by firing a salvo with old-fashioned blunderbuss firearms.

Three seriously injured

However, the gunpowder they were handling exploded, seriously injuring three of them, who were among those taken to the Vall d'Hebron to be treated for their burns.

The church bell tower suffered no major damage, as its openings allowed the flames to disperse, according to local fire chief, Jordi Vila.

Council cancels celebration

Following the accident, the local council announced the cancelation of the celebration but said the pine tree would be taken into the church in silence as a mark of respect.

The Festa del Pi is an annual traditional celebration in the town, in which a pine tree cut down in a local wood is hung upside down in the local church amid much fanfare.