The death toll from explosions at a Bolivian army base rose to nine — all soldiers — after rescuers found three more bodies in the rubble, the Ministry of Defense said Monday.
Two huge explosions occurred Friday at a barracks in the city of Viacha, about 30 kilometers southwest of La Paz.
The site was used to store confiscated fireworks, grenades and TNT-based explosives, the ministry said.
The cause of the explosion is still under investigation, but the local prosecutor’s office has opened an investigation for manslaughter and other crimes.
“The Army reported on Monday the discovery of a ninth body in the rubble,” the Ministry of Defense said in a statement.
Among the nine dead were a sergeant and eight young soldiers performing their mandatory military service, it added.
Five soldiers remain missing and firefighters were removing debris from the damaged buildings on Monday while being guarded by a large police contingent, according to images from local media.
Earlier, Health Minister Marcela Flores reported that of the 84 people injured in the explosions, 31 remained hospitalized.
Army Commander Hector Alarcon stated that the barracks housed around 240 soldiers, although at the time of the accident most were engaged in activities outside the compound.
President Rodrigo Paz, who visited the blast site, confirmed on Monday that all explosive material that posed a risk of further detonations had been relocated.
The government has also launched an internal investigation to determine responsibility and the quantity of explosives stored. Some of the explosives were confiscated fireworks.
