SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — Authorities in the Dominican Republic said Thursday that the death toll from an explosion at a plastics company rose to four and they continued searching for two missing workers.
Meanwhile, the number of injured rose to 66, with five people in critical condition following Wednesday's blast in the capital of Santo Domingo, according to a statement from the National Health Service. Among the injured are 13 children who were attending school nearby.
Edwin Olivares, sub-director of the Emergency Operations Center, told The Associated Press that at least two people are still missing. He also said that officials have not been able to identify two of the four victims.
Olivares said many workers survived the large explosion at the Polyplas company because they followed security protocols.
Business owner Manuel Diez Cabral tweeted that 98 percent of staff members were evacuated following what he said was an "uncontrollable" gas leak. He said the company has always followed strict security protocols in its more than 50 years of existence.
"Our organization is mourning these irreparable losses," he wrote. "We sympathize with the victims' families, to whom we offer all our support in the face of this difficult situation."
