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.
Sophia Bush has a lot going on these days. She plays the title role in a new CBS medical drama, "Good Sam," which premieres onJanuary 5. She and former "One Tree Hill" co-stars Hilarie Burton-Morgan and Bethany Joy Lenz do a weekly podcast called "Drama Queens." Plus, she is working with Lenovo on a conservation initiative called Work for Humankind on Robinson Crusoe Island, off the coast of Chile. "I feel like I've been trying to convince big brands to do work like this forever, and Lenovo said, 'We're in!' And now this incredible conservation group and a local community will be supported by people who believe in purposeful travel, purposeful work," she told Cheddar.
2021 has been a year filled with extreme weather conditions. Hundreds of thousands of people recently saw the effects of massive tornados that swept across six states. Now, experts say climate change could have played a major role. Jennifer Marlon, research scientist and lecturer at the Yale School of the Environment, joins Cheddar News to discuss.
Integrity Marketing Group, nation's largest independent distributor of life and health insurance products, is showing its employees it cares. The company surprised its 5,500 employees with $125 million in cash payouts to those participating in the company's Employee Ownership Plan. Bryan Adams, CEO of at Integrity Marketing Group, and Steve Young, NFL Hall of Famer and chairman of the board at Integrity Marketing Group, join Cheddar News to talk about the announcement.
Anthony Tall, sports agent and president of Miracle Sports Agency, joins Cheddar News to talk about the challenges professional sports leagues are facing amid a surge in coronavirus cases across the U.S.
Jilly Stephens, CEO of City Harvest, joins Cheddar News to discuss food insecurity. She also offers tips on how people can volunteer at their local food bank this holiday season.
Todd Kaplan, Pepsi's Vice President of Marketing, joins Cheddar News to discuss the company's first-ever non-fungible token with its Pepsi Mic Drop genesis NFT collection.
This year, consumers might not be as surprised by what's under their trees as by the trees themselves. Despite a tighter market for trees, Stew Leonard's was able to secure its entire stock of Christmas trees from a supplier in Quebec. But some prices jumped this year as a result of increased costs for shipping and labor amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Cheddar's Chloe Aiello reports.
Dr. Travis Langley, Professor of Psychology at Henderson State University, joins Cheddar Reveals to discuss why the Joker is widely considered the best villain of all time and a prevailing figure in pop culture and provides insight into the psychological and cultural reasons we find him so fascinating.
On this episode of Cheddar Reveals, Dr. Travis Langley, Professor of Psychology, Henderson State University, discusses why the Joker is widely considered the best villain of all time and a prevailing figure in pop culture and provides insight into psychological and cultural reasons we find him so fascinating; Jonathan Gayles Professor and Chair, Department of Africana Studies at Georgia State University, dissects the diversity efforts in representations of superheroes and villains in comics and Hollywood films; Cheddar gets a look at Curiosity Stream's 'My Comic Shop Country.'
Jonathan Gayles Professor and Chair, Department of Africana Studies at Georgia State University, joins Cheddar Reveals to dissect the diversity efforts in representations of superheroes and villains in comics and Hollywood films.
