Death toll rises to 3 in Bolivia army base blasts

VIACHA: The death toll rose to three after two explosions at a military base in Bolivia, the prosecutor's office said, as rescue teams worked to clear debris and find people who are still missing. The blasts occurred Friday afternoon at a facility where explosives, including grenades and TNT, are stored in the town of Viacha, home to about 114,000 people and located 30 kilometres southwest of La Paz.
Streets in the area remained littered with rubble on Saturday and windows in nearby buildings were shattered. 'Amid the rubble the lifeless body of a man was recovered,' prosecutor Katherine Ramirez said in a statement, announcing an investigation and bringing the total casualties to 'three people deceased so far.' The deaths reported earlier were two young men who had been serving their first year of mandatory military service. Another 84 people were injured in the blasts.
The cause of the blasts, which sent a plume of smoke into the air, was under investigation. Ministry of Defence chief Ernesto Justiniano warned 'the risk in the area is still high' because there are powerful explosives that have not yet been removed. — AFP