“We have hit rock bottom”: Viacha mayor urges help after explosions

“We have hit rock bottom,” Viacha Mayor Jenrry Patzi said after explosions at the Bolívar regiment left seven people missing. He asked people to focus on solutions and help rather than assigning blame or spreading misinformation.

Patzi spoke during President Rodrigo Paz’s visit to the site and apologized for not resolving the situation as quickly as families hoped. “It is done, let us not look for culprits, let us look for solutions,” he said, referring to the seven missing people who were still being sought.

“

We have hit rock bottom, but we know how to work, we know how to get back up and we will continue.

The mayor said Viacha had worked around the clock and would continue doing so. He requested protective equipment, food supplies and faster processing of documents, saying Bolivia was in mourning. He also expressed solidarity with the families and said he remained in constant contact with them.

“

It is done, let us not look for culprits, let us look for solutions and answers, because that is what seven more families need.

Patzi described Viacha as an industrial city that produces and would recover. He urged residents to be cautious and stay away from the disaster zone while machinery continued operating there. “We are working every day and will continue working,” he said, asking families for more patience and saying their relatives could still be brought back.

Defense Minister Ernesto Justiniano, who also visited the site, said seven deaths had been confirmed. He stressed that the seven missing people would not be presumed dead because the search was continuing.

“

We do not want people to come and make our work more difficult. We want people to come and help us, because that is what Viacha needs today.