The 14 August 2023 explosion left several dead and injured, besides causing damage to several properties in the south-central city of San Cristóbal.
Over the weekend, relatives of the people who disappeared in the explosion picketed several of the activities led by President Luis Abinader in that province in demand of a “credible report” on the cause of the tragedy.
The demonstrators, who identified themselves as relatives of the victims who do not appear in the list of the deceased given by the authorities, demanded justice with banners and slogans. They dispute the results of the official investigation.
“The firefighters’ report is not credible, above all, because the senior chief of the firefighters is the mayor,” say the relatives. They say the authorities want people to forget about the incident and not pursue those who are truly responsible.
The explosion left several dead and wounded, many people missing, besides causing damages to several adjacent buildings.
They said that although their relatives are not in the the National Institute of Forensic Sciences (Inacif) official list, there is evidence that they were in the place at the moment of the explosion.
They indicated that of the 38 deceased confirmed by the authorities, 36 were identified. However, the remains of 2 other corpses do not coincide with the 12 reported among the missing.
The relatives say that in addition to the economic aid provided by the government, they need answers and consequences about the culprits of that tragedy, which according to the investigations, could have been avoided.
The report of the San Cristobal Fire Department points to a plastics factory as the epicenter of the explosion of 14 August, which caused the death of 34 people and dozens of injured in the southern province.
Maribel Sandoval, Mercedes Altagracia Vidal and Edward Armando Vidal Garrido, owners of the company Vidal Plast SRL, are under arrest for the case. They were allowed to await trial outside of jail.
When asked about the case, President Luis Abinader responded that the state prosecutors had presented their report and the case was taking its course through the judiciary. He understands the families are still under the trauma of the tragedy.
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Diario Libre
Listin Diario
El Dia
El Dia
7 November 2023