[CS-FSLUG] Update on Paraguayan Tragedy

[Josiah Ritchie]

Please keep us updated.

On Sun, 2004-08-01 at 21:40, Eduardo Sanchez wrote:
> I was told by my boss that I should show up in church services a little 
> bit more frequently, so I stayed there after teaching Sunday School. 
> The service was the usual glitzy show of drum, amplifiers, high volume 
> and low quality and spirituality. After enduring it, I called my wife 
> and she asked me to stop by the supermarket on my way back home. While 
> riding of the bus, I saw a fire truck with all the sirens going on 
> madly, and I thought it was just another fire.
> 
> While in the supermarket, I saw people crowded on the TV sets on sale 
> there. Apparently, there was some breaking news that warranted that the 
> TV networks stop their usual Sunday programming. I went nearer the TV 
> sets to see what was happening, and I saw that there was a huge fire 
> somewhere. Ok, I thought. I'll check it out at home. After my shopping, 
> I walked home and turned on the TV, and I just began to realize the 
> magnitude of what happened.
> 
> All out of a sudden, a loud explosion was heard inside one of the 
> supermarkets of the Ykua Bolaños chain, and all hell broke loose, 
> People stampeding trying to get out; many dead by fire; and many 
> trapped, who died shortly thereafter after the roof crashed.
> 
> The death count, as I am writing this, is over 300, including at least 
> one pregnant women, a baby and several children. Many of the deceased 
> are unidentified. The injured are just too many, and like the dead, 
> many of them are unidentified, their features burned beyond 
> recognition. There are still bodies to be retrieved from the 
> supermarket, but there are also fears that the whole structure would 
> collapse any time soon.
> 
> Several hospitals of the Asunción were converted into makeshift triage 
> posts, helping as much as they can. They are literally flooded with 
> patients and hospital beds are scarce now. The scenes showed by TV were 
> simply harrowing and gut-wrenching.
> 
> As for other details, well, there were simply too many things that went 
> wrong. There are strong, substantial allegations that once news of the 
> fires reached the owner of the chain, a Mr. Paiva, ordered the gates 
> closed "to prevent looting", thus trapping many people. The fire alarm 
> did not have a battery backup power supply, so it couldn't go live when 
> the power was cut. The roof collapsed suspiciously too soon.
> 
> And I pray I might be wrong on this regard, but it was the most crowded 
> time in a supermarket: the Sunday noon, when people go there to buy 
> groceries and ready-made food, and eat at the annexed eatery, so I 
> suspect a bombing or sabotage. (Update: It seems that all was due to a 
> gas leak.)
> 
> President Nicanor Duarte ordered a two-day national mourning period with 
> no activities. Tomorrow is also a day off from classes in all schools.
> 
> Please pray for all the victims and their families. Thanks to our Lord, 
> I am able to confirm that all of our families (Gloria's and mine) are 
> safe and sound. I just spoke with my boss by phone and he confirmed 
> that so far no one in neither our Baptist School nor Church was harmed; 
> but everyone here is shaken.
> 
> Blessings,
> 
> Eduardo