SAN CRISTOBAL: The death toll from an explosion in the Dominican Republic has risen to 27, with firefighters continued efforts to extinguish the fire caused by the blast, western media reported on Wednesday.
AFP reported the director of the Dominican Republic’s emergency operations center, Juan Manuel Mendez, at a news conference said their top priority is to extinguishing the fire.
The devastating explosion, which occurred on Monday, rocked the commercial district of San Cristobal, located less than 30 kilometers (18 miles) from the capital, Santo Domingo. The explosion caused a fierce fire that engulfed the area.
Dominican Republic Explosion, Death Toll Swells to 27
Civil defense official Delfin Antonio Rodriguez told local media that 90 percent of the fire had been extinguished. Officials said out of 59 injured people, 37 are in hospital.
According to local media reports some of the injured had suffered severe burns.
President Luis Abinader, had announced a day of mourning on Thursday, during which flags will be lowered. He said the tragic incident had affected the whole nation and the public is in great shock.
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The reason of the explosion has not been determined yet. Overall nine buildings were affected by the explosion.
President Abinader personally visited the site to assess the aftermath of the incident, offering his condolences to the families of the victims, which included men, women, and children.
Authorities have confirmed the heartbreaking loss of a four-month-old baby in the blast.
