Several People Injured After Bomb Explodes In Santiago, Chile

A bomb explosion in the Chilean capital of Santiago has left several people injured. According to Business Insider, the explosion rocked a restaurant situated at an underground train station. The incident, which the Chilean government terms to be a “terrorist attack,” happened at lunch time at the busy Escuela Militar (Military School) station on the Santiago Metro. This area is close to the bustling shopping area of Las Condes.

At the time of filing this report, there have been reports of at least eight people being seriously injured. An unidentified woman has lost limbs, the Business Insider report adds quoting the AFP.

Meanwhile, Reuters has confirmed that the bomb was detonated inside a mini mall within the metro station complex. The report cites Mario Rozas, who is the head of police communications in Santiago. According to him, the incident happened at around 1400 local time (1700 GMT).

“At 1400 (1700 GMT) an explosive device was detonated in the center (mini-mall) by the metro station, and at the moment investigations are being carried out to determine the origin”

Of the injured eight people, the condition of two people is said to be extremely grave. Several other people within the vicinity of the bomb blast are now complaining of hearing loss. An Argentinian citizen too is believed to have been injured in the explosion.

Meanwhile, the Chilean government has lambasted the people behind these bomb blasts. A cabinet minister in the government, Alvaro Elizalde, had this to say.

“This is an act that has all the hallmarks of a terrorist deed. There is no doubt. And it has been carried out with the intention of hurting innocent people.”

He went on to add that his government would not hesitate to invoke harsh anti-terrorism laws in order to prosecute the perpetrators of the bomb blast. Two suspects have already been homed in on by police officers investigating the blast, who, according to the Interior Minister, escaped in a car after they planted the explosive. No one has claimed responsibility for the bomb blasts yet.

The bomb blast in Chile has happened in the same week the country commemorates the 41st anniversary of a military coup in 1973 in which the then socialist president of Chile, Salvador Allende, was ousted from power.

Officials have confirmed that the metro service in Santiago had started functioning normally an hour after the blast. The station where the bomb blast took place however is still not operational.

[Image Via Wikimedia Commons]