A powerful explosion, of undetermined origin, in a business in the province of San Cristobal, in the Dominican Republic, killed at least ten people, including a baby. Eleven people are missing and 37 are injured, the country’s president, Luis Abinader, announced on Tuesday (August 15).
The explosion shook the commercial area of ??San Cristobal, capital of the province of the same name, on Monday around 3:10 p.m. (local time; 9:10 p.m. Paris time). It caused a fire and a gigantic column of smoke.
“I would like to express my sincere condolences to the families of the ten people – men, women and children – who died [according to a provisional report],” the president said during a visit to the disaster area. It also reported 11 people missing and “some 37 people in hospital”. A previous toll reported three dead and 39 injured.
“We are doing everything humanly possible (…) to investigate the situation of the eleven missing persons,” Abinader said. “An investigation will be carried out to determine the origin and causes of this terrible accident,” he added.
Injuries burned on 30 to 40% of the body
The shock wave shook several buildings, including a hardware store, a veterinary clinic and a public ministry building. At this time, it has not been possible to determine exactly where the explosion occurred. Several vehicles were reduced to ashes.
Some 500 members of the security forces, civil protection and fire services have been deployed in the area, the Dominican government said. Canine units are used to search for survivors under the rubble of destroyed buildings. The local press reports people burned on 30% to 40% of the body. “We must save the lives of those who have been affected and injured, and we will do so without any resource limitations,” President Abinader said.
San Cristobal Mayor José Montas told the Listin Diario newspaper that authorities hope “that in the next few hours the fire will be completely extinguished, so that all technicians, firefighters and officials can determine the cause of the explosion. “.
In hospitals near the scene of the disaster, dozens of people are rushing to look for relatives who may have been present during the explosion. “We want to know what happened to our relative,” Daysi Rodriguez told reporters. “He was supposed to be here, but he doesn’t appear on the list. »
San Cristobal is the fourth most populous province in the country, with nearly 700,000 inhabitants, out of the 10 million in the Dominican Republic. The city of San Cristobal is less than thirty kilometers from the capital, Santo Domingo.
