by Hannah Beserra
On Monday, August 14th, an explosion occurred near a marketplace in San Cristóbal,
which lies right outside of the capital at Santo Domingo. This explosion has recently left the community in shambles, causing destruction across the city. Since the city of San Cristóbal has a population of around 200,000 people and is 14 miles away from the capital, the explosion has not only put many people in danger, killing at least 31 people, injuring around 59, including one of the victims being a 4-month-old baby, but has also caused demolished homes, workplaces, businesses, whilst 500 people and 32 ambulances were mobilized on top of the injured/deceased victims.
On August 18th, Dominican officials came forward to inculpate a plastics company
named “Vidal Plast”, based on evidence they’ve acquired as of recently. Apparently, back in March there was a fire caused by an electrical spark and a dangerous chemical substance. But, the company did not take any accountability or further measures. More evidence on top of this, causing the company to be deemed more suspicious, an article from 2003 states that one of their factories in the Dominican Republic was operating improperly. 2 workers were removing chemical material when an explosion occurred causing both of them to unfortunately pass. Dominican officials are currently filing a case against this company. As investigations continue, the Dominican Republic faces the challenge of addressing the immediate aftermath of the explosion while also taking steps to prevent similar incidents in the future. The country’s resilience will be tested as it seeks to heal and rebuild in the wake of this tragic event.
beniciapaw.com 