The emergency continues in Soacha, after the explosion in the ‘El Vaquero’ powder shop, last night, Wednesday, May 22. According to the authorities’ report, a woman died, 34 people were injured, two seriously, and at least 540 homes were affected.
The identity of the fatal victim, authorities say, is unknown, while the injured were transferred to four healthcare centers in the area, as follows: Cardiovascular Hospital (10 injured), Mario Gaitán Yanguas Hospital (4 injured), Simón Bolívar Hospital (1 injured) and San Luis Clinic (20 injured).
“We are at the scene of the emergency and we will continue to report on the actions of the relief agencies,” Julián Sánchez, mayor of Soacha, said on his Twitter account.
For his part, the mayor of Bogotá, Carlos Fernando Galán, expressed his solidarity with the municipality of Soacha and stated that a team of 19 firefighters from the Puente Aranda, Kennedy and Central stations, with 2 fire extinguishing machines, 2 tank trucks and 1 hazardous materials machinewent to the scene to assist in responding to the emergency.
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On behalf of the municipality of Soacha, official and volunteer fire departments participate, as well as the municipality of San Antonio del Tequendama and the department of Cundinamarca. There are about 280 units responding to the emergency.
Residents of the sector reported the magnitude of the explosion on social networks: “A loud explosion was just heard in #Soacha, rumors say that it could be at the El Vaquero Fireworks Factory located on the Autopistasur,” said a user of the platform. X. According to the latest report from the Unified Command Post, the emergency has been controlled by 80%.
