The Presidency announced national mourning for Thursday, 17 August 2023 in solidarity with the victims of the major blast that decimated a block in downtown San Cristóbal, west of Santo Domingo. The national flag will fly at half-mast. The city government of San Cristóbal and San Cristóbal Mayor José Montás had already declared three days of mourning.
The governor of San Cristobal Pura Casilla expects San Cristóbal to be declared a disaster zone and special funds to be available.
As of Wednesday, 16 August afternoon, the Center for Emergency Operations had reported 27 fatal victims in the San Cristobal explosion. Several of the corpses have not yet been identified by the Forensic Sciences Institute (Inacif). 59 persons are reported with serious injuries.
The authorities have not given the official version of what could have caused the blast on Calle Ayala in San Cristobal, a bedroom community to Greater Santo Domingo. The authorities say the official report on what caused the blast needs to await the investigation results by the firefighters and the J2 intelligence unit of the Armed Forces.
Meanwhile, Somos Pueblo reports that the bomb-like situation could well have originated at a plastics recycling business that would be shut down the next day. The Ministry of Public Works had scheduled to begin construction of a municipal parking area in the area of the explosion.
Eduardo Sanchez Tolentino (El Piro) of Somos Pueblo interviewed Daurin Muñoz (Policia Cebolla) who said city government officials told him the plastics recycling plant was not permitted to operate there. Reportedly, an unskilled worker sought to disconnect the propane gas installations in time for the eviction on the next day when the construction of the municipal parking area was scheduled to start.
Meanwhile, President Luis Abinader, First Lady Raquel Arbaje and Vice President Raquel Peña were in San Cristóbal on 16 August 2023 for a Catholic mass in honor of the victims on Wednesday, 16 August 2023. The President had cancelled the speech to the nation he would have rendered from Pedernales in the Southwest, replacing it with his solidarity with the tragedy in San Cristobal in attending the mass. The previous day, Abinader had visited the disaster zone.
President Abinader said the government has ordered that there not be financial limits to assisting the victims.
It took firefighters three days to put out the blaze, including dozens of volunteers. Textile merchandise in the Casa Toledo store continued to go up in fire. The situation was precarious because the blaze affected the stability of nine buildings in the area.
The canine unit of the rescue services detected several corpses in the debris.
Diario Libre reports that residents in San Cristóbal were prompt to donate blood for the victims.
Meanwhile, the Dominican Medical Association (CMD) called off all medical strikes in solidarity with the San Cristóbal tragedy.
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Diario Libre