2023-08-17 17:53:16
“It is an event that has affected us all, we are very shocked, very sad. These are the words of the President of the Dominican Republic Luis Abinader after a powerful explosion left 27 dead and 59 injured, according to the latest official report dated Wednesday. For now, the causes of this tragedy are unknown. 20 Minutes traces the course of events.
“I thought it was an earthquake”
The explosion occurred at 3:10 p.m. local time Monday in San Cristobal, less than 30 km from the capital Santo Domingo. “The windows of the house moved very strongly and I thought it was an earthquake,” a witness told the newspaper. Listin Diario. “I thought they were going to break.”
The blast from the explosion was felt approximately 500 m away. Fires caused by the blast affected nine buildings and partially destroyed four others.
The deputy director of civil protection, Delfin Antonio Rodriguez, indicated that the fire “is under control at 90%, the fire is contained”, stressing that openings had been made in the building to be able to “extinguish” completely the fire . Some 500 members of the emergency services are taking part in the operations.
A powerful explosion in San Cristobal, in the Dominican Republic, mobilized many firefighters. – Jolivel Brito/AP/SIPA
People are still missing
The latest death toll is therefore 27. The previous reported 25 dead. The search continued overnight from Tuesday to Wednesday, with the help of dogs which located at least three bodies, according to SIN.
Dozens of people gathered outside hospitals asking for family members who were likely in the disaster area. Photos of missing people have gone viral on social media, along with the phone numbers of their loved ones.
“When this type of situation, of tragedy, occurs, when bodies have to be identified, it takes time,” said General Juan Manuel Mendez, director of the Emergency Operations Center
The government “will respond proportionately to this terrible tragedy,” said Dominican President Luis Abinader, who attended a mass in honor of the victims on Wednesday. He announced measures to “economically take care of all companies” that have suffered damage and in particular flexible financing solutions from public and private banks. However, he did not disclose any amounts.
Destroyed vehicles and debris are scattered on the ground after a powerful explosion in San Cristobal, Dominican Republic, Monday, August 14, 2023. – Jolivel Brito/AP/SIPA
But where does this explosion come from?
The investigation has already begun. The area has been militarized and the security perimeter extended, according to local press. The authorities have confirmed that a parking lot will be built in this area. Most of the premises in the commercial area were therefore unoccupied.
“There was a hardware store there. […] Also a machine where there was an explosion, where we were handling plastic. There are chemicals, ”explained Delfin Antonio Rodriguez without giving more details.
San Cristobal is the fourth most populous province in the country with nearly 700,000 inhabitants, out of the ten million in the Dominican Republic, which shares the Caribbean island of Hispaniola with Haiti.
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