The impact from a gas explosion at the Polyplas plastics factory was felt over several blocks in the Villa Agricolas neighborhood in northern Santo Domingo. The factory is located at Alonso de Espinosa 301 in Villas Agrícolas neighborhood. As reported, the explosion occurred at around 11:40am.
Firemen director Rafael del Rosario confirmed the death of two men and a woman in the blast. He said there were 45 injured. The National Health Service (SNS) reported that around 50 injured persons were rushed to area hospitals. Two are seriously injured. The injured were sent to the Hospital Francisco Moscoso Puello, Hospital General de la Plaza de la Salud, Clínica Cruz Jiminián, the burns unit at the hospital Ney Arias Lora, the hospital Félix María Goico and the Trauma Hospital Darío Contreras.
City Mayor David Collado urged the population to stay away from the area so that the rescue workers and ambulances could do their job.
Initial reports are that the explosion occurred because of mishandling of natural gas. The heat wave emanating from the company’s boiler ignited the escaping gas that was being loaded into a factory storage tank. The factory and several constructions and vehicles in the area suffered major damages.
The explosion was felt for several blocks. The area around the factory is a mix of industrial, commercial and residential properties. Schools and businesses in the area were evacuated. The fire that had began at around 11:40am was put out at around 3:40pm.
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Listin Diario
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El Dia
El Dia
6 December 2018
