Explosion causes the sinking of a naval base

Ecuadorian naval base floats in Cuyabeno Lake

The explosion that occurred yesterday afternoon at the  mobile Coast Guard Station Cuyabeno River left a death sailor, other three injured and three civilians missing, according to the Navy.

The naval base, which was located about half a mile offshore of the Palma Real parish, canton San Lorenzo (Esmeraldas), on the border with Colombia, sank with 27 people aboard, at 13:45 with other four small boats that were anchored , so said it Carlos Vallejo, principal of the National Directorate of water spaces (Dirnea).

Vallejo did not rule out the hypothesis that the accident was caused by the manipulation of  fuel, or was an attack. “Different criteria cannot be ruled out,  that is why he decided to form a Commission of inquiry to “determine the causes of the accident,” he said.

Danilo Manzano was the marine who died in the accident, and among the missing people are: Miguel Andrade, Gabriel Sancan and Francisco Huacon, who were in charge of servicing the vessel.