Gas Explosion and Fire Kill Young Couple and Their 4-Year-Old Son in Downtown Santiago

An explosion and fire in an apartment in downtown Santiago early on Friday (November 13) killed a family of three, including a child aged about four. Firefighters said the three victims were found dead inside the flat, and the cause of the explosion is under investigation. Reuters, citing local radio, reported about 10 other people were injured. (Photo: firefighters at the scene of the explosion in central Santiago. Image: Bio Bío.)

Call at 5:24 a.m.; fire in a ground-floor flat

According to Chilean media, the Santiago Fire Department was called at about 5:24 a.m. local time to a three-storey building at the corner of San Dionisio and Longaví streets in the Santiago commune, where an explosion in a ground-floor apartment set off a fire. Sergio Yévenes, third commander of the Santiago Fire Department, said: "We found three people dead inside the apartment, believed to be two adults and a minor." Neighbours said the victims were a young couple and their son; their identities have not been officially released.

Early reports point to a possible gas leak; cause to be determined

Early reports suggested the explosion may have been caused by a gas leak and triggered multiple blasts, but officials have not confirmed the cause. Prosecutors have taken up the case, and the investigation has been assigned to the Carabineros OS9 unit and the criminalistics laboratory, which will determine whether there were structural faults, electrical problems or flammable substances involved. A video recorded nearby captured the moment of the explosion. (Sources: The Clinic; Bio Bío; Mega; Enfoque Digital; Reuters.)