Firefighters struggling to extinguish a blaze caused by a deadly explosion near the Dominican Republic’s capital this week found two more bodies Wednesday, bringing the death toll to 13, authorities said.
The number of victims is expected to increase since responders have not been able to fully access the building where the explosion occurred Monday at a bakery in the city of San Cristobal, which lies just west of the capital of Santo Domingo.
Jaissy Capellán, press coordinator for the Emergency Operations Center, told The Associated Press that the two additional bodies were pulled from the rubble early Wednesday.
Meanwhile, authorities are probing what might have caused the explosion, vowing to crack down on any business that might not have been following regulations.
Juan Manuel Méndez, director of the Emergency Operations Center, said at a news conference late Wednesday that if an unidentified factory was operating illegally as some residents have alleged, the investigation would shed light on that.
“If there is some type of culpability or not, the investigation will determine that,” he said. “We will take legal action.”
At least 59 people were injured in the blast, which occurred in a bustling commercial area in the city’s center and destroyed four buildings and damaged nine others. More than 30 people remain hospitalized with conditions including fractures, burns and respiratory problems. Two firefighters also were treated for smoke inhalation.
More than 30 ambulances and some 500 personnel including rescuers and officials responded to the incident.
Toxic smoke still hovered over the explosion site, with health officials urging people to wear face masks.
San Cristobal, the birthplace of dictator Rafael Trujillo, was the site of another explosion nearly 23 years ago. An arms depot exploded in October 2000, killing at least two people and injured more than two dozen others, forcing authorities to evacuate thousands.
Associated Press reporter Dánica Coto in San Juan, Puerto Rico contributed.
A new report out on Linkedin says that Crypto-related job postings in the US surged to 395% between 2020 and 2021. Job titles which included titles containing "Bitcoin", "Ethereum", "Blockchain", and cryptocurrency, all outpaced jobs in the wider tech industry which saw a 98% increase in listings during the same time period. LinkedIn also notes that the most common crypto job postings were blockchain developers and engineers. CEO of Radkl, Ryan Sheftel, joined Cheddar to discuss more.
A new study has been causing a lot of buzz in the cannabis industry. Researchers from Oregon State University found that compounds in cannabis could prevent infection with COVID-19, but that doesn't mean smoking marijuana prevents people from getting infected. CV Sciences medical advisor Dr. Michael Lewis joined Cheddar News' Closing Bell to discuss.
Software company BigPanda recently raised $190 million in Series D funding, led by Advent International and Insight Partners. The funding round gives the company unicorn status with a $1.2 billion valuation. BigPanda develops A.I. software that detects and analyzes problems in I.T. systems. The company says it aims to be the solution for other companies that do not have enough manpower to manage their data, as more and more industries continue to build a broader digital presence. BigPanda co-founder and CEO Assaf Resnick joined Cheddar News' Closing Bell to discuss.
Amazon Prime announced the name of the highly anticipated Middle-Earth prequel streaming series to be called "The Rings of Power," premiering on September 2. The show takes place thousands of years before the stories set in "The Hobbit" and "The Lord of the Rings."
Sebastien Lagree, creator and founder of Lagree Fitness, joins Cheddar News to talk about the growth of Lagree Fitness and industry trends to watch in 2022.
We've all seen the headlines about a record number of Americans quitting their jobs in what's become known as the Great Resignation. However, new data on why people are leaving the workforce in droves suggests the bigger headline is Americans are simply burned out. Stephanie Aston, CEO of Black Girl Group, joined Cheddar News to break down why so many employees have reached their breaking points and what employers can do about it.
Nikhilesh De, managing editor of global regulation and policy at CoinDesk, joins Cheddar News to discuss Bitcoin's slump and corporations' growing interest in NFTs.
Thrive Market is a health-first membership for conscious living, with a mission to make healthy and sustainable living easy and accessible. Nick Green, CEO and co-founder, chatted with Cheddar's Baker Machado about the company's approach and new ventures in 2022. "I grew up outside of Minneapolis, middle class, middle America, and really saw firsthand how hard my mom had to work to put healthy food on the table, on a budget, without a health food store nearby," he said. "Twenty-some years later we looked around and just thought it was crazy that millions of Americans are still struggling with the same thing, and we decided to change it." Recently the brand released a line of organic frozen products and will be introducing new beauty and home brands.
In what could be the biggest deal in video games history, Microsoft's purchase of Activision Blizzard underlines the company's aggressive push in gaming and beyond into its long-term vision of being top dog in the metaverse. Adam Hollander, former director of gamification at Microsoft and founder of Hungry Wolves NFT, joined Cheddar's Opening Bell to discuss. “Microsoft always plays chess, not checkers," he said, describing the price tag as an opportunity cost. "It's about integrating Activision Blizzard in with Azure and Windows and Xbox and Hololens and Minecraft and everything else that they're doing for the inevitable goal of being the major player in the next phase of the internet."
Jordan Zakarin, Media Producer at A More Perfect Union, joined Cheddar News to break down the latest from Colorado, where at least 8,700 Kroger employees walked off the job in demand of increased benefits and wages.
