At least 14 soldiers remained missing after two explosions at a military base in Bolivia that killed two and injured more than 80, the base commander said Saturday.
Distraught relatives confronted police officers with riot shields who were blocking access to the base. The Ministry of Defense identified the missing as a sergeant and 13 conscripts, aged 18 and 19. Irineo Mamani, 65, said he just wanted to confirm if his son was on the list of missing persons.
“Fourteen uniformed personnel who were in the area affected by the two explosions at the Viacha military base have not yet been located,” base commander Colonel Antonio Amaru said in a statement, adding that search and rescue efforts were underway.
The cause of the blasts, which sent a plume of smoke into the air, was under investigation.
He said he had ordered a “thorough, technical and transparent” investigation. Authorities in Viacha declared three days of mourning, while the town’s public prosecutor’s office said Saturday it had opened an investigation into manslaughter and other crimes.
