At least two people died, 59 were injured, and seven remain missing following explosions recorded this Friday near a military facility in the Bolivian municipality of Viacha, in the department of La Paz, according to the Bolivian Police.
The Police deputy commander, Colonel Roger Roca, stated that emergency teams and security forces continue working in the affected area and that, once clearance work is completed, an investigation will be opened to clarify the circumstances of the event.
“We have seven people missing at the moment and it has been physically confirmed that there are two deceased persons, there are also 59 injured people so far. From now on, investigative activities will be carried out to determine what happened in this place,” the police chief said in statements collected by the newspaper El Deber.
The incident took place on Friday afternoon at the General Maintenance Center of the Artillery and Maintenance Regiment (RAM-2) Bolívar, located in a central area of Viacha.
Local authorities indicated that a detonation occurred in an area where pyrotechnic material was being stored.
After learning of the incident, the country’s president, Rodrigo Paz, expressed his “deepest solidarity” to the families and close ones of the deceased, as well as to the injured and neighbors affected by the explosions.
In a message shared on social media, Paz assured that the Executive’s priority is, “in moments like this,” “to protect life, attend to the victims, and support the families going through hours of pain and uncertainty.”
“I have also instructed that a thorough, technical, and transparent investigation be conducted into what happened. We must establish with absolute clarity the causes of this event, verify compliance with safety protocols, and determine the corresponding responsibilities,” the president added.
In his post, he also called for no speculation or premature conclusions. “We will act with seriousness, transparency, and responsibility,” he concluded.
The Ministry of Defense had initially reported that 58 people were injured, including 52 civilians and six military personnel, and treated at various health centers in Viacha.
Read more Israel says it is strengthening its position in southern Lebanon
At that time, the government department did not confirm the number of deceased, stating that initial indications needed to be verified before providing an official count.
Authorities have cordoned off the area while search efforts among the debris and damage assessment continue. The Police and military restricted access both to the affected facility and to nearby homes.
The incident also caused power outages in various parts of Viacha. The energy distribution company reported that around twenty neighborhoods were initially left without electricity as a result of the incident.
Although the company announced service restoration at 16:44 local time (the same time in Chile), local residents told the local press that power was not restored in some areas until after 18:00.
The inability to access the explosion area currently prevents completing the necessary work to restore service to some homes.
Given the situation, authorities asked residents in the area to find an alternative place to spend the night, since the perimeter will remain closed and under police and military control.
The Ministry of Defense, meanwhile, stated that isolation of the site was ordered, mobilization of necessary resources to attend to the injured, and support for affected families and neighbors.
It also announced a technical investigation aimed at determining the causes of the detonation, the storage conditions of the material, and, if applicable, the responsibilities arising from the event.
Read more Trump confirms that his envoys will take a proposal to Moscow to end the war in Ukraine
