LA PAZ – An explosion near the festivities of Bolivia’s famed Oruro Carnival claimed the lives of at least half-a-dozen people and injured 28 others on Saturday.
Four children, three girls and one boy, were among the dead. The injured were rushed to nearby medical facilities to be treated.
#EvoMorales gov hiding to the world terrorist attack in #Oruro #Carnival that killed ppl & #children they lied saying it was 2 #gas #propane #tanks of #food #vendors . Iran Hezbola operates in #Bolivia & many #westerners #foreigners #tourists attend #Oruro #Carnaval #Bolivia pic.twitter.com/KELOud51dL
— LatinAmericanFreedom (@LatAmFr) February 11, 2018
Police say the blast was not deliberate but resulted from a gas-related mishap. “It was an accident,” a city of Oruru police commander, Romer Rana, disclosed.
“Product of oil spill from a pan that was handled by a food vendor caused an overheating of a hose that connected the decanter,” the official explained.
“That, in turn, causes a gas leak that leads to an explosion of the decanter,” he added.
President Evo Morales expressed that he was “very dismayed” after learning of the gas explosion near the Folkloric Entrance of the Carnival of Oruro.
Muy consternado recibimos noticia de muertes registradas por explosión de garrafa de gas cerca de la Entrada Folclórica del Carnaval de Oruro. Toda nuestra solidaridad a las familias de víctimas. Prestaremos ayuda necesaria a heridos. Que se establezcan las causas de la tragedia.
— Evo Morales Ayma (@evoespueblo) February 11, 2018
“All our solidarity to the families of the victims, we will provide necessary help to the wounded, and the causes of the tragedy will be established,” Morales wrote on Twitter.
The Oruro Carnival is one of the largest in South America.
