Argentina gas explosion toll hits 14

ROSARIO, Argentina – Argentine rescue workers recovered the body of a man from the ruins of an explosion-shattered apartment building late Friday, August 9, raising the confirmed death toll in the disaster to 14.

Seven other people remain missing after the devastating blast caused by a gas leak Tuesday, August 6, in the three-tower complex in Rosario, the country’s third-largest city.

Leonardo Caruana, the city’s public health chief, identified the victim as Federico Balseiro, 40.

The search for survivors continued despite dimming odds for the missing.

“There is always hope,” Rosario mayor Monica Fein said. “We are working carefully to search each area.”

The apartment complex housed 60 apartments with 238 people.

Its central tower collapsed during the explosion, which was believed to have originated from the gas leak in a basement garage.

Some 300 rescue workers were combing through the debris searching for survivors with sniffer dogs and electronic gear aimed at detecting underground movement.

Rosario is a wealthy agro-exporting hub located northwest of the capital Buenos Aires with a population of 1.1 million. – Rappler.com