voyager1970 » 10 янв 2009, 14:58
Emergency commission hit by blast and fire
Death toll from quake put at 15
By José Pablo Ramírez Vindas
and the A.M. Costa Rica staff
(Posted at 3:25 p.m.)
An explosion ripped through a storage room at the national emergency commission building this afternoon, and the entire structure was reported in flames with large columns of black smoke rising from the site.
Meanwhile, the official death toll for Thursday's earthquake has risen to 15.
President Óscar Arias Sánchez was on the scene when the explosion took place after having finished a tour of areas affected by the earthquake. But he was unhurt, and there were no injuries as a result of the blast and subsequent fire, according to the emergency commission chief.
The storage unit belongs to what is called the Comisión Nacional de Prevención de Riesgos y Atención de Emergencias. This is the agency in charge of dealing with the results of the earthquake and whatever other national disasters would take place. It is located at the San Jose's secondary airport, Tobias Bolaños, in the western suburb of Pavas. The storage unit is a separate building.
The airport is used heavily by local flights, including those for tourists. The fire and smoke are expected to hamper air operations.
Daniel Gallardo, emergency commission chief, said the storage building fire was caused by a welder whose sparks ignited a foam mattress. The sprawling building is full of such mattresses that are used in emergency operations.
Gallardo also confirmed the number of dead from the quake without giving details.
He also said that with 50 helicopter flights into and out of the areas most affected by the earthquake, all who wanted to leave have been airlifted. He said that included the injured and many tourists who were trapped when landslides closed access roads. Many were in the vicinity of the La Paz Waterfalls Gardens which is in Vara Blanca, north of Heredia and Alajuela centros.
Carpe Diem
"He who controls the present, controls the past. He who controls the past, controls the future."
-- George Orwell