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At least 14 soldiers have remained missing after two explosions at a military base in Bolivia killed two and injured over 80.
The blasts occurred Friday afternoon at an explosives storage facility in Viacha, about 30 kilometres southwest of La Paz.
Base commander Colonel Antonio Amaru said search and rescue teams were still looking for the missing personnel.
“Fourteen uniformed personnel who were in the area affected by the two explosions at the Viacha military base have not yet been located,” Amaru said Saturday.
The Ministry of Defence identified the missing personnel as one sergeant and 13 conscripts aged 18 and 19.
The two people killed were young soldiers serving their first year of mandatory military service.
The explosions damaged nearby homes, shattered windows, tore off roofs and uprooted trees.
Defence Minister Ernesto Justiniano said Friday that the first blast involved black powder used in pyrotechnic materials stored at the facility.
Authorities were still investigating the cause of the second and larger explosion.
Relatives of the missing soldiers gathered outside the base, demanding information about their loved ones.
President Rodrigo Paz expressed “deep solidarity” with the families of those killed, injured and affected by the explosions.
Paz said Friday he had ordered a “thorough, technical and transparent” investigation into the incident.
“We must establish with absolute clarity the causes of this event, verify compliance with safety protocols and determine any responsibilities that may arise,” he said on X.
Viacha authorities have declared three days of mourning, while prosecutors opened an investigation into manslaughter and other crimes on Saturday.
