Viacha expands security perimeter and assesses homes damaged by explosions

Viacha’s municipal authorities have expanded the security perimeter around Bolívar Barracks and begun assessing homes hit by explosions, as residents remain barred from parts of the area.

Municipal official Ulrich Lizárraga said the restricted zone now covers sectors two and three blocks from the military facility. Police and armed forces are coordinating the security operation, while municipal workers clean areas where entry is permitted.

Engineers and architects will inspect the affected properties alongside homeowners, Fejuve leaders and neighborhood presidents. Their findings will form a technical report on the damage and could later support efforts to obtain assistance for property owners.

Lizárraga said the emergency became critical after the second explosion. Second-level hospitals in Viacha were overwhelmed by the number of injured people, forcing authorities to transfer the most seriously affected patients to facilities in El Alto and La Paz.

The official said residents had been asked from the first emergency onward to stay away from the main gate of Bolívar Barracks. Those restrictions remain in place, and authorities urged people to follow instructions from police and military personnel. The municipality does not know the conditions inside the facility, Lizárraga said, while the arrival of a water tanker prompted additional precautions and a further withdrawal of personnel and residents.

An emergency shelter has opened at the Military School of Music. Lizárraga said he did not yet know how many families were staying there, but food and assistance were being provided.

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The security perimeter has been expanded.