Defense ministry prepares to bring in machinery at Viacha blast site

Bolivia’s Defense Ministry is preparing to bring heavy machinery into the site of explosions at the Bolívar Artillery and Maintenance Regiment in Viacha, but only after specialists confirm that no dangerous material remains.

Defense Minister Ernesto Justiniano traveled to Viacha and met families and residents affected by the blasts. The ministry formed a crisis committee involving the armed forces, police, Civil Defense and the Health Ministry. It will coordinate assistance for the injured, relatives and neighbors, while assigning a designated official to each family of military personnel who remain unaccounted for.

Justiniano told families that their assigned contacts would maintain direct communication and pass on confirmed information about the search. Operations are currently limited to areas cleared by technical teams. The safety of rescuers will determine when crews can move into sectors that still pose risks.

The Public Prosecutor’s Office, police and forensic teams are preserving the scene and collecting evidence to determine what caused the explosions. The armed forces must provide records, inventories and other documentation requested for the investigation.

According to the Defense Ministry’s preliminary report, two explosions occurred on Friday at the regiment’s General Maintenance Center. The first apparently involved black powder used in pyrotechnic material stored at the site. A second, much larger blast followed, but authorities are still investigating what material was involved and what caused it. Officials are also working to establish a single list of the dead, injured and missing because patient transfers between hospitals may have produced conflicting institutional reports. Viacha’s municipal government is evaluating homes damaged by the blast wave.