In the city of Pereira, three people have already died after the explosion of a car loaded with propane gas. The shock wave affected several homes that will have to be demolished. Noticias Caracol spoke with one of the survivors of the tragedy.
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Propane gas explosion in Pereira claims the lives of two people: “We saw neighbors on fire”
The man, identified as David Silva, is seen on security cameras running for his life after the two explosions that occurred in the residential area of Avenida del Río, in the capital of Risaralda.
After the first detonation, David ran and the second one threw him away. After the explosion, manhole covers can be seen that were blown away by the shock wave.
However, In the midst of the emergency, he could not save his father’s life.
“I saw the explosion there and I pulled my dad, but since he couldn’t run because of his knee, he couldn’t reach it and the fire caught him. He managed to catch me and he sent me to the sides,” the victim mentioned.
Even with the flames on his body, David tried to help his father, a 53-year-old man, who was taken to a medical center.
“My Dad died. He didn’t endure the surgery, unfortunately, and he died.”David indicated.
The causes of the explosion are being investigated by authorities. Camilo Ballesteros, commander of the Pereira Fire Department, mentioned that “When I was mounting this gas cylinder on a low bed, one of the drain valves broke due to an obstacle, which caused the propane gas to escape.”
Authorities reported that twelve other injured people remain hospitalized.
Alejandro Gaviria, manager of the San Jorge de Pereira hospital, reported that “as a result of the severity of the injuries, three people have died so far: Mr. Silva Cano, 54 years old, who was the first person to die from burns to the body part. Mari Arcila, 82 years old, who had 80% of her body with burns. And Mrs. Adriana del Socorro Hoyos, 61 years old.”
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