Firefighters recover two bodies after tanker fire on the Malecón; investigating causes of the accident

The general superintendent of the Santo Domingo Fire Department, General José Luis Frometa, reported this Monday that two bodies were located among the vehicles involved in the fire registered on George Washington Avenue, near Socorro Sánchez street.

Frometa explained that emergency agencies are in the process of extracting the bodies to establish which of the vehicles involved each one belongs to and to identify the victims.

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“At least we see that there is one who is trapped in the same SUV, we understand that one is the driver of that vehicle,” indicated the fire chief, who added that the authorities are working to determine the names of the deceased individuals and the company to which the diesel tanker belongs.

Regarding the causes of the incident, Frometa pointed out that they have not yet been determined and that, once the recovery phase is concluded, the corresponding investigation will begin.

According to the official, representatives of the General Directorate of Traffic and Land Transportation Safety (DIGESETT) are at the scene to carry out the investigation and determine the circumstances in which the event occurred, which preliminarily may have been caused by a traffic accident.

For his part, the new director of the Emergency Operations Center (COE), Erdwin Olivares, confirmed that the agencies are in the recovery phase for the two bodies and are conducting a survey of the entire perimeter.

Olivares explained that this is an area frequented in the morning hours by people exercising, so the authorities are checking the area to ensure there are no more victims beyond those already confirmed.

The fuel tanker fire occurred this Monday morning on George Washington Avenue and triggered a large mobilization of emergency agencies. The fire has already been extinguished and authorities are continuing recovery and investigation efforts at the scene.