Dominican authorities introduced they’re pursuing a legal case towards a plastics firm primarily based on proof discovered throughout an investigation into a strong explosion that killed not less than 31 individuals.

Police and the Public Ministry issued a joint assertion saying the blast occurred at a enterprise known as Vidal Plast, slightly than at a bakery as authorities had mentioned initially.

The explosion occurred on Monday afternoon in a bustling business centre in San Cristobal, a metropolis simply west of the capital of Santo Domingo.

“The Public Ministry has evidence that compromises the criminal responsibility of those responsible who, with their actions, caused the death of dozens of people and caused millions in losses,” the assertion mentioned, citing prosecutor Fadulia Rosa Rubio.

The homeowners of Vidal Plast couldn’t be instantly reached for remark. The firm recycles, buys and sells plastic supplies, officers mentioned.

Authorities additionally mentioned they’ve proof that there was a fireplace on the enterprise in March attributable to a spark and a chemical substance and that the corporate didn’t take any measures “despite knowing the high risk of its operations”.

Victor Bisono, the minister of business and commerce, instructed reporters that the municipality had closed the manufacturing unit previously, however he didn’t present extra particulars.

N Digital, a revered on-line newspaper within the Dominican Republic, reported that the corporate was based in 2003.

It quoted one of many firm’s founders as saying that the manufacturing unit was not working and that two of its staff have been merely eradicating materials from the location when the explosion occurred, with one in every of them being killed.

Officials on Friday additionally raised the variety of lifeless to 31 from 28. They mentioned seven of the lifeless had been recognized up to now.

On Thursday, the federal government mentioned it may take as much as three months to determine all these killed within the blast.