This morning a strong explosion occurred in the town of Mariano Acosta, in the Buenos Aires district of Merlo, which left four injured.
The incident occurred in a bottle depot that operated illegally and whose owner, a Paraguayan immigrant, was arrested on the spot.
The owner was identified as Adrián Oscar Benítez, known as “The Paraguayan”, who had been previously reported by residents of the area for having settled irregularly. As it turned out, the man lived in the front of the land, while in the back he stored a large
number of carafes.
According to available information, there were at least 2500 carafes on the property, which explains the magnitude of the explosions that occurred during the morning and the extreme risk to which the residents of the neighborhood were exposed.
The arrested Paraguayan.
The incident The
fire started around 6:30 in a building located on Constituentes Avenue, between Bustillos and Colombres. Within a few minutes, the situation became critical due to the constant detonation of
carafes.
The balance of the episode is at least four people injured. Three of them would be employees of the warehouse, who suffered burns and were taken to a municipal hospital for clinical care and control
.
The fourth person affected was identified as Thiago, an 18-year-old boy who was seriously injured when a bottle fell on his head during the explosions. The impact caused his skull to sag and, reportedly, he was undergoing emergency surgery.
Benítez himself was arrested at the scene by the authorities, who will investigate him in the next few hours to determine his responsibility for the incident, while the investigation into the conditions under which the place operated progresses.
The explosion.
The testimonies of the neighbors reflect the level of desperation experienced during the accident. “I am locked in front of my premises, an electricity house, which is right in front of me. I cut off the power and I'm scared because everything vibrates,” said Francisco, a resident of the area, in statements to Todo Noticias (
TN).
At the same time, the municipal administration of Merlo, headed by Kirchnerist mayor Gustavo Menéndez, who has held office since 2015 and was vice-president of the Justicialist Party between 2019 and 2021, was also strongly targeted.
The criticisms point to the lack of controls and inaction in the face of previous complaints about the irregular operation of the property.
