making news in america this morning, deadly blast. an explosion at a fireworks market triggering a chain reaction. fire and smoke visible for miles and people scrambling to safety. new details from witnesses on that scene. a massive manhunt is under way in berlin for the killer and christmas market attack. isis is now claiming responsibility. hear why authorities released a man they originally had in custody. >> deadly crash. a plane comes down shortly after takeoff. it is all caught on camera. what went wrong? and yet again it's a busy morning here. good morning. the investigation is under way into what caused that deadly chain reaction explosion that

>> at least 29 people are dead. more than 70 others injured. some with burns on more than 90% of their bodies. the flames sent clouds of smoke over the market that could be seen for miles. >> they scorched the grounds and kiosk in the market. some witnesses said the scene looked like a war zone. abc's maggie rulli with the new information just in. >> reporter: what should be a sign of celebration, turning into tragedy. just outside mexico city, the country's best-known fireworks market crowded with shoppers buying fireworks for the holidays explodes in a massive display of smoke and flames. as the fire spread, the fireworks just kept detonating. this woman even heard the blast in a neighborhood nearby. saying it was loud and there were several explosions. fusion reporter rava fernandez visited the scene. >> it was a big

that started to disperse but a lot of people crying and state police and the mexican red cross arrived on the scene and looks like a war zone. reminded me of some of the images i've seen in syria or iraq. >> reporter: in the aftermath confusion and chaos. even the occasional pop from another exploding firework as people look for victims through the rubble. dozens of police secured the market keeping onlookers away. a heavy scent of gunpowder still lingering the in the air. according to fernandez there's been accidents at this market before. >> this happened in 2005 in the same market. 57 people were injured in that incident and, you know, another firework went off in 2006 and 2007 and a lot of the markets

>> reporter: so far no word on what sparked this. maggie rulli, abc news, washington. the morning's other big story. a manhunt is under way in germany after that horrific terror attack in berlin. >> want to show you a live look at the christmas marketdç]w tha still in shambles after a truck slammed into a crowd there killing 12 people, injuring dozens. security is heightened and abc's molly hunter has the latest. >> reporter: the attacker is on the loose this morning. and isis said the culprit is a soldier of the islamic state. the person is likely armed and has a 36-hour head start. tuesday night german prosecutors released the man due to insufficient evidence. he was an asylum seeker and hours later haven't been able to say what evidence led them to him in the first place. in the back of the truck owned by a

polish driver but no gun recovered. increased police presence and manhunt heating up but german police don't have enough information to even put out a wanted poster. the investigation is ongoing and police say they've received 508 tips so far of which 80 are serious. police also warning the public to be extra vigilant in berlin across germany and europe where other christmas markets could be targets. the u.s. embassy in berlin has told american citizens to maintain good situational awareness and to keep a low profile. president obama called german chancellor merkel telling her the united states stood by their german allies to defeat terrorism in all forms. with christmas markets set to open up later today under heavy security, germany's interior minister has urged them to go out and purchase a christmas angel. >> our thanks to molly in berlin for us. now authorities are searching for answers in the other attack that stunned europe this

that russian ambassador. this new video shows the moments before the attack at an art gallery. the gunman an off-duty police officer acts as if he's providing security at the event then he starts firing moments later. an associated press photographer kept his composure and his camera going during the entire event. >> he shot again from close rank on the body of ambassador. it was like a movie, like in theater. >> the ambassador's body has now been returned to moscow. his widow was there weeping as the honor guard carried her husband's flag-draped coffin off the plane. new video of an american woman and canadian husband who have been held for seven years hiking in afghanistan. caitlin coleman was seven months pregnant and has since had another child in

this is the first time we're seeing those children as coleman makes a plea to president obama. >> we ask quickly in our collective 14th year of prison urge the governments on both sides to reach some agreement to allow us freedom. this is probably important to you and our lives and lives of our children are to us. >> coleman's parents in pennsylvania say they're grateful to see their daughter still alive and to see their grandchildren for the first time. >> the search warrant that gave the fbi permission to take a second look at hillary clinton's e-mails days before the election, well it's now under seal. it was released along with other documents. in them the fbi argued there was probable cause to examine the e-mails found on the computer of former congressman anthony weiner. the estranged husband, of course, of huma abedin but contain no new evidence and show

unjustified. president obama has permanently banned future offshore drilling in large parts of the atlantic and arctic oceans. it appears to be an effort to block president-elect trump who has vowed to open up offshore drilling. environmentalists are applauding the move but republicans and oil and gas industry officials are accusing the president of abusing his power. well, today is the shortest day of the year. the first day of winter. but the season is starting with a warm-up. a look at today's highs, above freezing from minneapolis to the east coast, ten degrees above average for some area, actually and it sticks around for the weekend. mild weather for the holiday for a lot of people. we'll take it after being so cold. still ahead, the case of a missing reality show contestant. it is now getting more serious. plus, new this morning, showing an nfl player's arrest after police say he was passed out behind the wheel. a cargo plane overshoots the

runway the dramatic crash caught on camera.

we're back with that scene that was caught on camera in colombia as a cargo jet goes down killing five crew members. stage a look. the boeing 727 heading to bogota when it crashed last night shortly after takeoff moments after that video was taken there. it was spotted flying low and skimming a fence before slamming to the ground. the plane broke apart and burst into flames on impact. one crew member survived. the man accused of setting off bombs in new jerse

the first time. he moved slowly apparently still recovering from injuries aft a shoot-out with police and pleaded not guilty to five counts of attempted murder. he also faces a host of federal charges. north carolina lawmakers could soon repeal that so-called bathroom law. debate will happen today after months of protests, lawmakers are holding a special session to discuss the measure. the law requires transgendered people to use restrooms corresponding to the sex on their birth certificate. lgbt advocates say they're cautiously optimistic. they're pressuring lawmakers to keep that in place, says others. in connection with the flint water crisis, two were state emergency managing facing criminal charges. this resulting in pipes corroding from untreated water and lead leaking in. the other two charged are former city officials. the federal gov

potentially deadly problem with 1 million fiat chrysler vehicles. officials say some of them can roll away even with the transmission in park. the issue is similar to the one blamed for the death of "star trek" actor anton yelchin. the probe covers some late model ram 1500 pickups and dodge durango suvs. volkswagen will shell out another billion dollars to settle more claims in its cheating case. it covers 80,000 diesel cars. the owners will be compensated separately. the money is on top of the 15 billion volkswagen previously agreed to pay for nearly half a million cars caught in that scandal. when we come back an airline passenger gets violent and a grammy award winner jumps into action. a fedex truck full of holiday gifts stolen. the manhunt under way right now to find the suspects. dough ice .

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freezing rain and snow made for very dangerous driving in spokane, washington. this semi truck crashed shutting down interstate 90 in both directions. black ice is now a threat for this morning's commute. on the roads this morning wet across the desert southwest. snow in the rockies and slippery conditions from northern minnesota to wisconsin and into the upper peninsula of michigan, as well. a former reality star vanishing in california. police, family and friends were searching frantically for that nursing instructor. >> on tuesday lisa marie naegle's body was discovered in the backyard of her student's home. now, he's now being held for suspicion of murder. abc's mara schiavocampo with more. >> reporter: a missing persons case turned into a murder investigation. police discovering the remains of former reality tv contestant lisa marie naegle in a shallow grave. >> statistically it is usually th

with that is tied to their disappearance which appears that falls into that category. >> reporter: naegle was a contestant on "bridalplasty" in 2010. competing to are a chance to win a plastic surgery makeover before her wedding to derek. police say they were led to naegle's body after her student, jackie jerome rogers, confessed saying he buried her in the backyard. >> we asked him. he must have told us the story 15 to 20 types. >> reporter: mara schiavocampo, abc news, new york. overnight singer richard marks tweeting he is not a hero helping to restrain an unruly passenger on board of a flight. he was going from vietnam to korea when a man described as drunk became violence. marx and his wife daisy fuentes posted these images of the ordeal on social media and say they made it home safe and sound. police have releas

cam video showing the dui arrest of wide receiver michael floyd. officials say they found floyd passed out at the wheel of an suv that was stopped the air green light. floyd then stumbled as he tried to walk. police say he also appeared confused and his speech was impaired. he was picked up by the patriots two days after he was caught by the cardinals. a tennis superstar side. lined after a vicious attack. police are searching for the suspect who attacked two-time wimbledon champ petra kvitova with a knife at one point he even held that knife to her throat. she was able to escape but suffered deep cuts on her left hand and she'll be off the court now for months. back in this country frightening moment as long the detroit river. an 82-year-old man was rescued from that vehicle right there. he was backing out of his driveway when he went down an embankment and the car flipped over. and get this, a police officer happened to be driving by,

it all play out. got the man out of the car as it was filling with freezing water. the man is now recovering in the hospital. and surveillance cameras capture the dramatic moment when a fedex truck in arizona, is carjacked. the driver was left clinging to the outside of the vehicle after being ambushed at gun point yesterday. the truck has been recovered and suspects considered armed and dangerous. time now for sports and lebron james is moving up a spot in the nba all-time scoring list. >> yep, he's good. here's neil and stan at espn. >> good morning, entire "sportscenter" set here in bristol, connecticut. >> no matter where we are this segment follows us. we're just blessed. let's start lebron james and cavaliers facing milwaukee. moving ahead of moses malone on the all-time scoring list. that mea h

there that means you're in trouble whoever you may be. 34 points, 12 rebounds, 7 assists. if dudes go under on the screen he has to be to hit the long shot. cavaliers win by 6. demarcus cousins host the kings. cousins got fined for an altercation with a reporter back on december 12th. had an interesting night. 5 for 8 from three-point range and 55 points. one off his career high and hit 17 in the fourth quarter. gets that to go there and you see his mouthpiece came out of his mouth. originally he got a technical foul because i guess because they thought he spit it out but then they rescinded it and was able to come back and key block late and they win it 126-121. i've never seen that and then they call him back during the game. >> right. i hadn't either. neither had

>> that's all we got. back to you. >> sorry to interrupt. >> yeah, sorry, fellas, from bristol. up next in "the pulse," a pricey pizza complete with gold leaves. wait till you hear how much it costs. >> the golden state warriors dancing mom makes a return get in formation, lady.

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for a powerful comeback. new expressmax caplets. when are they leaving? grilled cheese and campbell's tomato soup go together like grandchildren and chaos. made for real, real life. ♪ so you're trying to decide what to get the true pizza lover in your life this holiday season. >> how about this $2,000 pizza from new york city's industry kitchen. underneath 24 karat gold leaves from ecuador tilton cheese and from england truffles, from france and caviar from the caspian sea. if you've been working out the

about $50 a bite. >> but if you flew to each of those locations to try to get the ingredients, it would be a lot more so makes sense. >> you're saving money. >> you're saving money. you're welcome. so if you want to get a slurpee without leaving home, no problem if you're in reno, nevada. 7-eleven now delivers by drone. the slurpeemaker launched 77 drone deliveries in reno. the first regular commercial drone delivery service in the u.s. even beating amazon and google. >> wow. the items delivered included hot and cold food and over the counter medicines. deliveries on average took less than ten minutes, not bad at all. amazon service in the uk takes 13 minutes. finally the viral dancing mom makes a return. you, of course, remember this. she blasted to fame last month after showing off some serious dance moves at a warriors game and when we say serious moves, ju

what would you call them? >> she is not messing around. well, the warriors loved her dance so much, they got her down on the floor last night performing a routine to the song "let it snow" along with golden state's dance team. check her out. she's in formation. she's coordinated. this is a woman from redwood, california. not bad. >> nailed every move. they might want to recruit her to the dance team. >> actually, yeah. >> but she's got to wear the sweater. >> oh, yeah. more news after this.fire at building -- while residents are scrambling to find another place to live. and, dozens killed in an explosion at a fireworks market. what investigators believe may have led to the deadly blast. and with that - we say good morning washington i'm q mccray in for larry smith. and i'm autria godfrey. toss to eileen

- winter solstice occurs at 5:44am - tranquil weather through friday - seasonable to above average temperatures - rain for christmas eve (no white christmas) today: partly cloudy. milder. highs: 45-50 winds: w 5 mph tonight: partly cloudy. cold. lows: 29-36 winds: s 5 mph thursday: am clouds, m'pm sun. breezy & milder. highs: 49-54 winds: s to nw 5-15 mph breaking right now: crews on scene of

building fire in prince george's county. residents were forced out into the cold when the fire broke out on hanover parkway in greenbelt, just before one this morning. several apartments were damaged by fire, others have water damage. no reports of any injuries right now. but many of the residents cannot stay here. and breaking overnight.. a house in rockville is heavily damaged, after a fire, which the occupants tried to put out themselves. it sparked last night in the garage of a home on pasture brook w

were unable to put the fire out themselves - neighbors called 911. it took 75 firefighters more than a half hour to get the fire under control. the house has more than 600-thousand dollars in damage. an adjacent home also has some damage. no one was hurt. also breaking: crews in indonesia are working to defuse several bombs -- after foiling a possible terror plot. right now, three suspects are dead, and one in custody. according to authorities in jakarta, police were raiding a home when a gunfight broke out. the three alleged militants were killed. several bombs were found, and the neighborhood is now under an evacuation order. the raid came soon after police had interrogated 14 suspects relating to planned suicide attacks in the area. the suspects had been in contact with an indonesian militant known to be fighting with isis. this morning, officials are saying this morning, officials are saying a lack of sufficient safety measures is what likely led to the deadly blast in

the exact cause. at least 29 people are dead, and more than 70 others hurt after a chain-reaction explosion in a fireworks market in a town outside mexico city last night. the market was crowded with people buying fireworks for the holidays. about 80 percent of the 300 vendor stalls are destroyed making it difficult for rescue crews to access people trapped. happening now in germany... an all-out manhunt for the person who rammed a truck through a christmas market in berlin. 12 people were killed and nearly 50 others hurt when the truck smashed through monday... and police thought they had their guy. but police later announced they arrested the wrong person. isis is now calling the killer a "soldier of the islamic state" while investigators try to hunt the person down. . there are a number of locations in our area that security experts call "soft targets" for terrorism. on that list... shopping malls, the national harbor, even fedex field. prince george's county police chief hank stawinski tells us after the terror

he ordered a heightened state of readiness at the redskins game. one of those soft targets is also the one of those soft targets is also the christmas market in northwest washington. police and private security officers are patroling the tents 24 hours a day... seven days a week. market management tells us - at this point - it does not plan to make any security changes. it's xx and we're just getting started. d-c council has approved the family leave act -- but not so fast -- there's another hurdle in the way. the mayor still has to sign it. what she thinks about the proposal -- straight ahead. plus winter officially starts today! but will it look and feel like winter for the holiday weekend? eileen whelan fills us in on the first

season. good morning washington. i'm q mccray in for larry smith. and i'm autria godfrey. - winter solstice occurs at 5:44am - tranquil weather through friday - seasonable to above average temperatures - rain for christmas eve (no white christmas) today: partly cloudy. milder. highs: 45-50 winds: w 5 mph tonight: partly cloudy. cold. lows: 29-36 winds: s 5 mph thursday: am clouds, pm sun. breezy & milder. highs: 49-54 winds: s to nw 5-15 mph d-c council voted in favor of the family d-c council voted in favor of the family