At least 10 dead, 62 injured after explosion at Bolivian army base

At least 10 people were killed and 62 injured on Friday after an explosion at a military barracks in the western Bolivian city of Viacha, local authorities said.
The blast took place at around 2.30pm at a military facility used to store pyrotechnic material. While the cause has yet to be established, officials said the blast originated from the defence ministry’s fireworks stockpile.
Viacha health director Rita Nebraska told local television that between 10 and 15 people were believed to have died in the incident. She added that 14 of the wounded were transferred to hospitals in La Paz, including a girl with third-degree burns.
Police said dozens of homes in the surrounding area were damaged, largely by windows shattered in the blast.
Earlier on Friday, Defence Minister Ernesto Justiniano wrote on social media that 52 of those injured were civilians, while the remainder were military personnel.
Video footage shared on social media showed a column of thick black smoke billowing from the barracks, which is in the city centre.

Ambulances, medical teams and police were deployed to the military complex to assess the damage and evacuate the wounded to health centres.
Nebraska said firefighters had warned that a heat source remained at the site, raising the risk of another explosion, and urged residents to stay at least 150 metres away.
An investigation has been launched into the cause of the explosion.
Viacha is situated about 30km (19 miles) southwest of Bolivia’s administrative capital, La Paz, and has a population of around 100,000 people.