On his Twitter account, the head of Cuban diplomacy extended his solidarity to the families and friends of the victims and wished a speedy recovery to the injured.

A dozen people were killed and at least 65 were injured in an explosion in a bakery in San Cristobal, about 25 kilometers west of Santo Domingo, on Monday, the local Red Cross reported.

The communiqué from the Red Cross pointed out that 55 people remain missing, while three structures are reported totally destroyed and more than 140 people are displaced.

Dominican authorities are investigating the cause of the incident, since after the explosion, fire spread to a hardware store next door and to a nearby furniture store.

Dominican President Luis Abinader suspended the speech planned on Restoration Day on Wednesday, and attended a mass to honor the victims of the incident instead.

Abinader will meet at the provincial governor’s office to define the actions to be taken in the face of this tragedy.

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