chronicle of an afternoon grief in Cali center

During the morning, at 11:53 am, the crash of the glass caused panic among those who passed through San Francisco's Plazoleta Square. A first version talked about the fact that one of the public prosecutors had clearly exploded.

The next minute of insecurity and silence was preceded by a loud mood when people in the Cali center at Carrera 6 at the Calle 10 Public Prosecutor's office evacuated. Within a few seconds, the hypothesis warned that this was not a suicide act, but possible research findings within the research site.

The scene was panicky when an unusual presence in the headquarters of the Jungle Command of the National Police Department of the Jungle Command was awakened in the center of the city's men, who were doing this diligent work just a few meters away.

With unusual weapons, they came to the San Francisco congregational scales when two explosions came on the second floor of the prosecution where the explosive group was operating, causing fire to the second level; Then came the third hypothesis in three minutes: an attack!

"The building was shaken and we were all astonished, we thought it was the worst." Then what caused the fear of explosion of tear gas balls and materials used by the cameramen to blow up? "I was on the tenth floor and quickly started to descend," he said an official of the Procurator's Office who has experienced the emergency.

See also: Video: Three Minutes of Murdering Panic at the Cali Prosecutor's Office

But Miguel Piña, a lawyer who diligently worked on the 12th floor, counted the disturbing moments.
"They took us to the top floor, and we took some windows to breathe." We all were very worried, we called our family and women were crying. "Two judges suffocated," the witness said, noting that at least 250 people were in the office of the prosecutor's office.

Those who initially attempted to check the situation and evacuate people who were trying to get an image of an emergency with their mobile phones were members of the police and CTI agents.

Soon they managed to stretch out the area and clarify the way for firefighters to start checking the flames. Then they released one of the police explosive agents to step in to put an end to the threat of a new explosion, while the fire brigade and the Red Cross builders were evacuated at the welfare centers.

"I stopped to watch a camouflage and suddenly Puuum, I did not think of a motorcycle, anything I did to escape because people were shouting that it was dangerous and that another big explosion could have been done, which had eradicated everything." – said John Fernando.

At least three of them had been injured first, including an older adult who had been affected by the detonation since, as the video demonstrates, this man went straight ahead of the explosion at the time of the explosion.

However, as emergency agencies evacuated people on the stretcher, they explained that these cases are anxious and smoke inhalation.

El País was informed by the source of the prosecution that there were two prosecutors and a police patrol victim who was treated in the southern Cali Police Department for cutting off his face.

Since the first hour since the incident, the whole building was evacuated and the office of the prosecutor's office.
"Those who did not get to the top floor were parked in the parking lot," said an official at the facilities in question.

Read more: Why was there explosive material at the prosecutor's office?

11:53.

11:54.

12:39 PM

13:10.

It was an accident

Yesterday afternoon at 12:30, the possibility of an attack had been ruled out, as several officials of the prosecution who left the building have announced that the emergency stems from the accidental explosion of evidence stored at the headquarters. .

The version was confirmed a few minutes later by José Alberto Hernández, the Cali Fire Department's operational director, who pointed out that the war material was apparently short-circuited.

An official of the prosecutor's office confirmed that the situation was presented at the second floor of the office building to carry out the technical studies of the materials seized by the CTI Cali explosives group, where a preliminary analysis showed that there was a short circuit in one of the current tanks.

This would be an explanation for the fact that, according to the source, the elements that are being scanned – such as fragmented grenades, tear gas, bullets, and ammunition – will be replaced.

At the same time, Cali's security secretary, Andrés Villamizar, reiterated that the possibility of an attack was ruled out and all "random explosions".

In the same vein, Defense Minister Guillermo Botero said that through the video on social networking he excluded the terrorist act.

"There is no terrorist attack or anything that makes us think … It was just an unfortunate accident that fortunately the authorities and the firefighters were able to participate in time," Botero said.

For its part, the prosecutor ordered an internal investigation to determine the real causes of the case and found that it was uncomfortable when handling or storing the hazardous substances.