30-6-2024 (MANILA) A massive explosion ripped through a pyrotechnics warehouse in the southern city of Zamboanga on Saturday afternoon, leaving a trail of destruction and tragedy in its wake. The catastrophic incident claimed the lives of five individuals, including a four-year-old child, while injuring dozens more, according to emergency services.
The blast, which occurred at the warehouse site, tore a gaping hole in the ground and sent debris careening into nearby buildings and residences, igniting a fierce blaze that challenged firefighters for hours. Luigi Chan, a fire investigator, recounted the harrowing scene, describing a 20-meter crater left by the explosion and the dismantling of the depot’s walls.
Among the casualties were four warehouse workers and the young son of one of the staffers, a heartbreaking reminder of the indiscriminate nature of such disasters. The city’s disaster office confirmed the tragic death toll and reported that an additional 38 individuals sustained injuries, with eight of them in critical condition.
Authorities have launched an investigation to determine the cause of the catastrophic explosion, which rained rubble onto a nearby soft drinks factory, a grains and flour warehouse, and residential homes in the vicinity. Chan speculated that the pyrotechnics stored within the facility were the “most probable origin of the fire.”
The sheer force of the blast was evident in the extensive damage it caused, with a blast radius extending over 3,000 square meters. Firefighters battled for more than two hours to bring the raging inferno under control, underscoring the magnitude of the challenge they faced.
