One month after a gas tanker leak triggered fires and explosions that killed 30 people in the Peruvian capital, traumatized survivors and relatives of victims are still waiting to know who was responsible.
They include Paola Lizeta, whose 13-year-old son, Jean Francis Álvarez, ran back toward his house to try to rescue his dog and died a week later after suffering severe burns. The dog, Lester, survived.
Click to Gallery
One month after a gas tanker leak triggered fires and explosions that killed 30 people in the Peruvian capital, traumatized survivors and relatives of victims are still waiting to know who was responsible.
Some 14 people were also injured in the blaze that swept through the Sector 6 neighborhood of the Villa El Salvador district in Lima on Jan. 23. While prosecutors say they are working hard to close their investigation, grief and disillusionment have overwhelmed the neighborhood.
Prosecutor Humberto Durán is investigating the tanker driver, the gas distribution company, Lima Mayor Jorge Muñoz, Villa El Salvador Mayor Kevin Iñigo and other officials.
On. Jan 23, Guzmán should have had a colleague with him, but was driving solo. His vehicle didn't have proper fenders or a system that would automatically prevent the gas from escaping into the air.
Today, the Sector 6 neighborhood still smells of ashes. Some residents prefer to walk at night so they don't see the debris from the fire. For a while, there were funerals of victims almost every day.
She found her son sitting with his feet in a container full of water, strips of skin hanging from him.
That was the last time they spoke. The boy later died from septic shock.
“Sometimes he wants me to pick him up,” Lizeta said of the dog. “I embrace him with all my strength.”
In this Feb. 21, 2020 photo, Paola Lizeta holds on to her pet dog Lester, after he tried to escape from their temporary home which has a poster that shows Lester with Lizeta's son, a victim of a gas tanker leak that triggered a fires and explosions that killed 30 people, in Lima, Peru. Lizeta's 13-year-old son Jean Francis ran back toward his house to try to rescue his dog and died a week later after suffering severe burns. (AP PhotoMartin Mejia)
Some 14 people were also injured in the blaze that swept through the Sector 6 neighborhood of the Villa El Salvador district in Lima on Jan. 23. While prosecutors say they are working hard to close their investigation, grief and disillusionment have overwhelmed the neighborhood.
“Nobody has been jailed. There's no justice,” said 26-year-old Vanesa Meza, who lost her aunt and four nieces in the disaster. Four of Meza's nephews - the youngest is a baby - remain hospitalized with burns over half their bodies.
Visible as a white cloud, liquefied gas leaked from a tanker after its pump hit a sharply angled speed bump at an intersection, according to a police report. Residents rushed away from the cloud, but someone started a car and a spark ignited the gas, Lizeta said.
In this Feb. 26, 2020 photo, residents march in a protest demanding the government build them new homes after a gas tanker leak triggered a fires and explosions that killed 30 people in their neighborhood, in Lima, Peru. Authorities have promised to rebuild two homes and help fix 23 others, but civil defense officials say the damage is much more extensive. (AP PhotoMartin Mejia)
Prosecutor Humberto Durán is investigating the tanker driver, the gas distribution company, Lima Mayor Jorge Muñoz, Villa El Salvador Mayor Kevin Iñigo and other officials.
The administrations of Muñoz and Iñigo blame each other for the lack of road maintenance at the intersection where the disaster happened.
In addition, the tanker driver, 72-year-old Luis Guzmán, wasn't authorized to transport liquefied gas and had been fined five times for transporting dangerous cargo without observing safety protocols.
In this Feb. 23, 2020 photo, relatives of people who died when a gas tanker leak triggered a fires and explosions that killed 30 people in their neighborhood, attend an outdoor Mass a month after the tragedy, in Lima, Peru. Some 14 people were also injured in the blaze that swept through the Sector 6 neighborhood of the Villa El Salvador district in Lima on Jan. 23. (AP PhotoMartin Mejia)
On. Jan 23, Guzmán should have had a colleague with him, but was driving solo. His vehicle didn't have proper fenders or a system that would automatically prevent the gas from escaping into the air.
Emergency services were slow to arrive at the scene to help victims and put out the flames. Firefighters admitted later that a fire engine was out of order after a road accident. Wilder Félix, a water distributor, was passing through the area and pitched in with supplies from his truck to fight the fire consuming people, homes and vehicles.
Authorities have promised to rebuild two homes and help fix 23 others, but civil defense officials say the damage is much more extensive.
In this Feb. 23, 2020 photo, "Beto" and his owner attend an outdoor Mass for people who died when a tanker truck carrying natural gas exploded in their neighborhood, marking a month after the tragedy, at a outdoor Mass in Lima, Peru. Beto, who was injured in the explosion, lost his vision. (AP PhotoMartin Mejia)
Today, the Sector 6 neighborhood still smells of ashes. Some residents prefer to walk at night so they don't see the debris from the fire. For a while, there were funerals of victims almost every day.
The neighborhood knows about suffering. In the 1980s and 1990s, the Shining Path guerrilla group staged attacks and killings of local leaders in the area.
Jean Francis Álvarez didn't find his dog after rushing back to his home to look for the mixed breed pet, which had escaped by another route. His mother, Lizeta, later received a call saying he was in the emergency room. The boy had been burned over 80% of his body.
This Feb. 23, 2020 photo shows a poster of people who died when a gas tanker leak triggered fires and explosions in their neighborhood, marking a month after the tragedy, at a outdoor Mass in Lima, Peru. Today, the Sector 6 neighborhood still smells of ashes. Some residents prefer to walk at night so they don't see the debris from the fire. For a while, there were funerals of victims almost every day. (AP PhotoMartin Mejia)
She found her son sitting with his feet in a container full of water, strips of skin hanging from him.
“Son, give yourself to God,” Lizeta recalled saying.
“I'm cold, mummy, cover me,” Jean Francis said.
FILE - In this Jan. 23, 2020 file photo, a firefighter cools a roof with water after a gas tanker leak triggered a fires and explosions, killing 30 people in the Villa Maria shantytown of Lima, Peru. Visible as a white cloud, liquefied gas leaked from the tanker after its pump hit a sharply angled speed bump at an intersection on Jan. 23, according to a police report. Prosecutor Humberto Durán is investigating the tanker driver, the gas distribution company, Lima Mayor Jorge Muñoz, Villa El Salvador Mayor Kevin Iñigo and other officials. (AP PhotoMartin Mejia, File)
That was the last time they spoke. The boy later died from septic shock.
This Feb. 22, 2020 photo shows a makeshift fence made from particle board surround a home that was destroyed a month ago when a gas tanker leak triggered fires and explosions killing 30 people, in the Sector 6 neighborhood of the Villa El Salvador district of Lima, Peru. “Nobody has been jailed. There's no justice,” said 26-year-old Vanesa Meza, who lost her aunt and four nieces in the disaster. (AP PhotoMartin Mejia)