Two dead, 14 missing after Bolivia army base blasts

Two explosions at a Bolivian military base killed two young soldiers and injured over 80 others, according to Colonel Antonio Amaru, the base commander. The blasts occurred on Friday afternoon at the Viacha facility, located 30 kilometers southwest of La Paz, where explosives are stored. Fourteen soldiers, including a sergeant and 13 conscripts aged 18 and 19, remain missing, with search and rescue efforts underway.

The cause of the blasts is under investigation. The first explosion involved black powder, while the second, larger explosion is still being analyzed. Distraught relatives and indigenous Aymara people in the affected town of Viacha, home to 114,000 people, confronted police officers and demanded information about their missing loved ones.

President Rodrigo Paz expressed deep solidarity with the affected families and ordered a thorough, transparent investigation. Authorities have declared three days of mourning and opened an investigation into manslaughter and other crimes.