3 dead, 44 injured in blast at Dominican plastics company

At least three people died and 44 were injured in a major explosion Wednesday at a plastics company in the Dominican capital of Santo Domingo, authorities said.

Among the injured were 13 children who were attending a school located in front of the Polyplas company where the explosion occurred, Maria Gomez, a spokeswoman for the country's National Health Service, told The Associated Press.

Mayor David Collado told reporters that the fire began when a boiler exploded at the company located in the Villas Agricolas neighborhood. He said the fire had been contained.

A black plume of smoke rises after an explosion at the Polyplas plant in the Villas Agricolas neighborhood in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, Wednesday, Dec. 5, 2018. The mayor told reporters the fire began when a boiler exploded early Wednesday afternoon at the plastics company. Authorities say at least two people have died. (AP PhotoTatiana Fernandez)

Police 1st Lt. Jose Francisco Velez told the AP by phone that authorities were still searching for victims underneath a wide swath of concrete rubble.

"They're still lifting the bodies," he said.

Gomez said the injured included three adults who were in critical condition with second- and third-degree burns. Gomez said the injured were being treated at several hospitals in the capital, prompting some to postpone elective surgeries to handle the influx.

A car is covered in debris next to a collapsed building, both damaged in an explosion at the Polyplas plant in the Villas Agricolas neighborhood in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, Wednesday, Dec. 5, 2018. The mayor told reporters the fire began when a boiler exploded early Wednesday afternoon at the plastics company. Authorities say at least two people have died. (AP PhotoTatiana Fernandez)

The owner of Polyplas, Manuel Diez Cabral, posted several messages on Twitter stating authorities were trying to determine what happened.

"We deeply regret the tragedy," he wrote. "We still do not know the magnitude of the loss."

Diez did not immediately return a request for comment.

A resident makes a photo from a rooftop, of a black plume of smoke caused by a nearby explosion at the Polyplas plant in the Villas Agricolas neighborhood in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, Wednesday, Dec. 5, 2018. The mayor told reporters the fire began when a boiler exploded early Wednesday afternoon at the plastics company. Authorities say at least two people have died. (AP PhotoTatiana Fernandez)

ISLAMABAD (AP) — A gas cylinder explosion early Sunday after a wedding reception at a home in Pakistan’s capital killed at least eight people, including the bride and groom, police and officials said.

The blast occurred as guests who had gathered to celebrate the couple were sleeping at the house, causing part of the house to collapse, according to the Islamabad police. Seven people were injured.

In a statement, police said the explosion occurred in a residential area in the heart of the city. A government administrator, Sahibzada Yousaf, said authorities were alerted about the blast early Sunday and officers are still investigating. He said some nearby homes were also damaged.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif expressed grief over the loss of lives and offered condolences to the victims’ families, according to a statement from his office. He directed health authorities to ensure the injured receive the best possible treatment and ordered a full investigation.

Many Pakistani households rely on liquefied petroleum gas cylinders because of low natural gas pressure, and such cylinders have been linked to deadly accidents caused by gas leaks. Police said investigations were ongoing.

Government officials survey the damage of a home caused by a gas cylinder explosion hours after a wedding reception, in Islamabad, Pakistan, Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Ehsan Shahzad)