The death toll from a January 23 explosion in Lima of a truck carrying gas rose to 30, the Peruvian health ministry said. A previous assessment last week reported 23 dead. About 50 people were seriously burned during the accident.
"We are going to go to all the hospitals where the injured are found , " said Defense Minister Walter Martos, who coordinates aid to the victims of the blast, on Thursday. More than a dozen injured people are still hospitalized in Lima.
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The explosion had occurred following a gas leak caused by the detachment of a pipe from the truck carrying 10,000 liters of fuel, passed on a donkey. The fire spread very quickly and destroyed 15 homes.
The driver of the truck, Luis Guzman, 74, was initially announced to have died in the accident. But he eventually survived the accident and was charged with manslaughter.
