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🇧🇴 Bolivia /Disasters & Emergencies

Viacha: Ninth body found at explosion site

From El Deber · () Spanish

Translated from Spanish and summarized by DistantNews. Read the original for the full story.

At a glance

News Official statement Ongoing story
  • Authorities found a ninth body Monday in the rubble of the military facility in Viacha, where explosions on Friday killed, injured and left people missing.
  • The body had not been identified and will be taken to the morgue for legally required examinations.
  • The army said many Bolívar Regiment personnel were cycling toward Letanías hill during the blasts, reducing the number of potential victims.

A ninth body has been found in the rubble of a military facility in Viacha, where a series of explosions on Friday left people dead, injured and missing.

The body was discovered at about 3:20 p.m. Monday at the General Maintenance Center for Artillery War Materiel, known as CGMMBA-IV, according to a report from Mechanized Division I. Authorities had not identified the remains, which will be taken to the morgue for examinations and other procedures required by law.

Search and recovery teams continued working under security measures and normal operating procedures.

All the instructors and soldiers of the Bolívar Regiment were taking part in a recreational and sporting activity, riding bicycles toward Letanías hill.

· Héctor Alejandro AlarcónThe army commander explained why many personnel were away from the facility when the explosions occurred.

Army Commander General Héctor Alejandro Alarcón said the Bolívar Artillery Regiment has about 240 personnel, but considerably fewer soldiers were inside the facility when the explosions occurred. Instructors and soldiers were taking part in a recreational and sporting activity, a bicycle ride toward Letanías hill.

“Thankfully, this recreational activity allowed the number of victims to be reduced significantly,” Alarcón said. The Defense Ministry had earlier reported that a substantial number of the regiment’s personnel were outside the barracks at the time of the blasts.

Thankfully, this recreational activity allowed the number of victims to be reduced significantly.

· Héctor Alejandro AlarcónAlarcón said the cycling activity helped prevent an even higher death toll.
About this summary

Originally published by El Deber in Spanish. Translated, summarized, and contextualized automatically by DistantNews, with a note on how the source frames the story. Not individually reviewed before publishing. How this works.

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