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News > Latin America

Morales Demands Investigation After Third Fatal Carnival Blast

  • "We stand in solidarity with those injured and the families of the victims," Bolivian President Evo Morales posted on Twitter. | Photo: Reuters

Published 13 February 2018
Opinion

The two victims of Tuesday's explosions bring Bolivia's 2018 Carnival death toll to 42, with more than 120 people injured, said Federal Minister Carlos Romero.

Bolivian President Evo Morales has called for an investigation into a series of explosions and accidents that marred Carnival weekend in Oruro, killing at least 40 people and injuring 120.

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Bolivia: 21 Dead, 71 Injured After First Day of Carnival

"I am very disappointed and worried because again the country mourns another tragedy and death of innocents with a new explosion in Oruro," Morales posted on his Twitter account late Tuesday. "We stand in solidarity with those injured and the families of the victims."

An explosion was reported at approximately 7:10pm in Oruro on Tuesday, according to local media. The blast killed at least two bystanders: a 30 year-old-man and a young girl, believed to be just eight years old.

The first day of Carnival celebrations in Oruro killed 21 and injured 72 in two separate accidents. In a third incident, a street-food stand exploded on one of the Carnival routes, killing eight people and injuring 47. Other deaths were reported in a car crash on the La Paz-Oruro highway.

"I have called for an exhaustive investigation until we can identify the causes," Morales said, noting that the explosions were being treated as suspicious.

According to the local Fire Department, there was no evidence consistent with an accidental explosion, such as shrapnel, craters or traces of fuel. Police now believe the explosion was deliberate.

Today's victims bring the weekend death toll to 42, with more than 120 injuries, Federal Minister Carlos Romero told the Cronica. Last year's Carnival festivities killed 54. In 2016, 52 people died.

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