Three people, a couple who own a plastics industry and their daughter, were arrested by the authorities of the Dominican Republic on Wednesday as part of the investigation into the explosion that killed 33 people on August 14 in San Cristóbal, less than thirty kilometers from the capital Santo Domingo, announced their advocate, who denounced the “circus” and the “lies” of the authorities.

The owners of Vidal Plast, the factory that was at the center of the explosion, will be called to account for their possible responsibilities for the destruction in a radius of 500 meters in San Cristóbal.

“It was not necessary to carry out an arrest and search operation”, the authorities are “simply setting up a circus”, criminologist Norberto Rodon argued to the press. He described the accusations against his principals as “a jumble of lies, half-truths and manipulations.”

A preliminary report on the causes of the accident, which was drawn up on August 18 and leaked to the press the day before Tuesday, said that there were “accumulations of gas and flammable material” in the craft and that “sparks, ignition, heat or friction” caused the fire. devastating explosion.

A more detailed report on the crash is expected to be released in the coming days.

The fire department noted the complaint that smoke was coming from Vidal Plast in May. Product identified that should be stored below 20°C and reacts to temperature changes, sparks and moisture.

“The company did not use any kind of chemical agent”, but the lawyer countered: “It cut plastic with two electric mills, which, thanks to a blade, pulverized it, turned it into pieces” to be resold to manufacturers of bottle caps, corks or bags.

Of the 33 dead, 19 have not yet been identified by the authorities, the director of the forensic institute of the Dominican Republic said yesterday Wednesday.

The death toll could have been much heavier, however several buildings in the shopping area where the explosion took place were empty as a car park was under construction.