The toll of Monday’s explosion in San Cristobal, in the south of the Dominican Republic, rose from eleven to twenty-five dead, said Wednesday August 16 the deputy director of civil protection, Delfin Antonio Rodriguez, to the chain of SIN information. “According to information from the national health system, twenty-five bodies have already been recovered”, said Mr. Rodriguez. the fire “is 90% under control, the fire is contained”he specified.
Dominican President Luis Abinader attended a mass on Wednesday to honor the victims and later met with his government and emergency teams. “It is an event that shocked us all, we are very shocked, very sad”he said, without giving an estimate of the number of victims.
The explosion shook the shopping area of San Cristobal, capital of the province of the same name, on Monday around 3:10 p.m. (9:10 p.m. in Paris). The blast from the explosion was felt up to about 500 meters away. Fires caused by the blast affected nine buildings and partially destroyed four others. In a previous assessment, the Emergency Operations Center had reported at least eleven dead and fifty-nine injured.
Cause of explosion unknown
Dozens of people gathered outside hospitals to claim missing relatives. Photos of missing people have gone viral on social media.
“When this type of situation, tragedy occurs, when bodies have to be identified, it takes time”said General Juan Manuel Mendez, during a televised press conference.
The government “will respond proportionately to this terrible tragedy”said Luis Abinader, who attended a mass in honor of the victims on Wednesday.
He announced measures to “to look after all businesses economically” that have suffered damage, including flexible financing solutions from public and private banks.
The investigation has already begun, the cause of the explosion remains unknown. The area has been militarized, and the security perimeter extended, according to the 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.
The World App
The Morning of the World
Every morning, find our selection of 20 articles not to be missed
Download the app
“There was a hardware store there. (…) , also a machine where there was an explosion, where plastic was handled. There are chemicals”explained Mr. Rodriguez without going into detail.
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, which shares the Caribbean island of Hispaniola with Haiti. The city of San Cristobal is less than 30 kilometers from the capital, Santo Domingo.