A woman cries as she calls out her son’s name among people searching for missing relatives and residents of the area who wait while military personnel form a security cordon following explosions that left people dead and injured at the “Bolivar” Mechanized Artillery Regiment, in Viacha, Bolivia,…
LA PAZ, Sept 4 (Reuters) – At least two people were killed and dozens injured on Friday after an explosion at a military barracks in the Bolivian municipality of Viacha, about 30 km (20 miles) from La Paz, Defense Minister Ernesto Justiniano said.
His ministry said in a statement that 14 people were missing.
The blast occurred at around 2:30 p.m. (1830 GMT) in an area used to store pyrotechnic material, authorities said.
While the cause has yet to be established, officials said the blast originated from the defense ministry’s fireworks stockpile.
Earlier, the Viacha health director, Rita Nebraska, had told local television that between 10 and 15 people were believed to have died in the incident, while 62 people were injured. Fourteen of the wounded were transferred to hospitals in La Paz, including a girl with third-degree burns, she said.
Police said more than 50 people were injured and dozens of homes damaged, largely by windows shattered in the blast.
Ambulances, medical teams and police were deployed to the military complex to assess the damage and evacuate the wounded to health centers.
Nebraska said firefighters had warned that a heat source remained at the site, raising the risk of another explosion, and urged residents to stay at least 150 meters away.
Reporting by Daniel Ramos; Writing by Kylie Madry; Editing by William Mallard and Shri Navaratnam
