Two dead, 30 injured and dozens of homes destroyed in pyrotechnics explosion in a private home in Spain
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Two women have died and 30 people have been injured in an explosion Wednesday afternoon caused by pyrotechnical materials stored illegally in an annex to a private home in Tui, Pontevedra, Spain.
The explosion occurred around 4:25 pm local time on Wednesday May 23. Several witnesses alerted the emergency services that they had heard a roar and saw a large plume of smoke in the direction of Paramos, about ten minutes from the center of Tui, south of Pontevedra bordering Portugal, where the explosion was also felt.
The great shock wave has caused major damage to houses in the area, with 12 houses almost demolished and several dozen more affected in one way or another, as well as private vehicles and other properties within a radius of at least one kilometer.
The total number of casualties and injuries is only an estimae, since the rescue teams have not yet been able to enter all the affected houses. Explosives deactivation teams have worked to ensure that there was no more material that could explode and that the rescue services could carry out their work safely.
In an appearance before the media in the vicinity of the place of the explosion, the vice president of the Xunta region, Alfonso Rueda, said that there were no missing persons
The mortal victim are both women, and the bodies have been excavated from the rubble.
Of the 30 people injured, the majority of them have minor injuries. Seven are minors and the rest adults, and more than half have been discharged.
Alleged reckless homicide
The Civil Guard has arrested the owner of the pyrotechnics that exploded. Allegedly the person stored pyrotechnical material in an annex to a private home.
After the explosion, agents of the Civil Guard have arrested a man, owner of a fireworks located about two kilometers from the site of the explosion, for an alleged crime of reckless homicide and wreaking havoc.
This person allegedly stored pyrotechnic material in an annex to a private home in the place of Paramos, in Tui (Pontevedra). Any remaining pyrotechnical material have been confiscated and subsequently transferred to the Commandery of Pontevedra where it will remain as evidence in the court proceedings. The First Court of Tui has taken over the investigation.
The mayor of the town, Carlos Vázquez Padín insisted that the municipal authorities were unaware that the pyrotechnic material was being stored in the annex to the private home where the explosion occurred.
The president of the Xunta, Alberto Núñez Feijóo, has sent a message of solidarity to the relatives of the victim and those affected. He stressed that he has spoken by telephone with the President of the Government and with the Minister of the Interior, who have expressed their solidarity and have offered their collaboration and support, which he thanked.
People who have lost their homes have been told to "not worry" about property problems, since they will receive coverage and insisted that "the most urgent thing is to know if there are more victims, to be able to locate them and identify them".
He has indicated that the regulations on storage of this type of material is very strict and recalled that the mayor himself said that he had no record of pyrotechnic material being stored there.
The authorities have established a point of care for the victims in the cultural center of Guillarei, near the site of the event.
