La Paz, Bolivia, Feb 17, 2018 / 00:00 am
The General Secretariat of the Bolivian Bishops' Conference called on civil authorities to conduct a "thorough investigation" of recent explosions in the city of Oruro that have left 12 dead and at least 60 injured.
"We lift up our prayers for the victims and express our solidarity with relatives of those who have died in the two explosions in Oruro during the carnival festivities. We call on the authorities to conduct a thorough and transparent investigation and to take measures to prevent these lamentable incidents," the bishop said in their Feb. 14 statement.
The first explosion occurred Saturday Feb. 10 during a procession honoring the Blessed Virgin Mary. Eight people died and 40 were injured.
According to police reports, the cause was an exploding gasoline container. Bolivian official Carlos Romero informed local media that there was no evidence that dynamite or some other explosive was the cause.