Two dead, 14 missing after Bolivia army base blasts

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. 

The blasts occurred Friday afternoon at a facility where explosives are stored in the town of Viacha, home to about 114,000 people and located 30 kilometers (18 miles) southwest of La Paz.

Streets in the area remained littered with rubble on Saturday and windows in nearby buildings were shattered.

"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 Ministry of Defense identified the missing as a sergeant and 13 conscripts, aged 18 and 19.

The dead were two young men who had been serving their first year of mandatory military service.

The cause of the blasts, which sent a plume of smoke into the air, was under investigation.

Distraught relatives confronted police officers with riot shields who were blocking access to the base.

Some indigenous Aymara people tearfully asked soldiers about their loved ones, while others tried in vain to force their way in, an AFP reporter saw.

"They haven't moved even a single stone, not even a bit of cement, they haven't moved anything. My nephew is still inside the rubble," Adolfo Copa told AFP.

Irineo Mamani, 65, said he just wanted to confirm if his son was on the list of missing persons.

"We just want them to tell us if a certain soldier is there, and that's all," he said.

The force of the blasts tore off roofs, sent rocks flying and uprooted trees, affecting dozens of nearby homes. 

In a report Friday, Defense Minister Ernesto Justiniano said the first explosion involved "black powder, corresponding to pyrotechnic material stored at the site," while the cause of the second, larger explosion was being analyzed.

The second explosion "blew me five meters backward," a neighborhood resident with facial injuries told the newspaper El Deber, adding that he had lost consciousness.

President Rodrigo Paz on Friday expressed "deep solidarity with the families of the deceased, the injured and all residents affected by the explosions."

He said he had ordered a "thorough, technical and transparent" investigation.

"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 in a post on X.

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.