By: Feliciano Gutiérrez
The relatives of the 10 victims of the fire agree that the tragedy could have been avoided, but there were several omissions and negligence on the part of the authorities and owners of the premises that led to this misfortune.
On Thursday afternoon, the accident occurred at the restobar, located in the Lima district of the capital of the province of Huancané. A two-story building, made of adobe, corrugated board and wood, ended up turned into rubble, with the unfortunate death toll of 10, 8 of them students from the Higher Pedagogical Institute.
During the funeral of the deceased, which took place this Saturday amid heartbreaking scenes of pain, the relatives demanded justice, since they considered that the deaths of the young people who were celebrating a birthday at the establishment could have been avoided.
OMISSIONS AND NEGLIGENCES
The relatives agreed that there are people to blame for the tragedy. The premises did not have an operating license. The provincial mayor, Valerio Tapia, confirmed that the establishment was operating without authorization. In December 2024 they had closed, despite this it continued operating. The relatives and relatives questioned the municipal authority and its competent officials, whom they blamed for not having closed the premises.
They also criticized the authorities for the water restriction. According to neighbors, there has been no water for a week, which did not allow the fire to be quickly controlled.
Mayor Tapia reported that the owner of the business is Rosa Quispe Aquise and the owner of the property registers (until 2021) in the name of Álex Gómez Pacoricona who is the former mayor of this province.
Likewise, the owner of the business was blamed for not having communicated and alerted, during the emergency, that there were people inside the premises. “The owner and her workers were concerned about removing their things, at no time did they warn that the young people were inside,” said a relative.
THERE WAS AN ALERT
Other relatives said that a young woman, a Pedagogical student, escaped alive during the fire. She would have warned that there were 8 of her colleagues inside who were celebrating a birthday, but they would not have taken it into account. This version was corroborated by a municipal security official in statements to a local media. “When we arrived, a young lady student from the Pedagogical School came out, who told me that they were students of the Institute celebrating a birthday. We wanted to act, but because of the fire we couldn’t,” he said.
Another complaint made by relatives, indicating that the young people were locked up on the second floor, without the possibility of leaving. The police that same day interviewed a worker from the establishment named Luz Cc.M (19), who reported that she served a group of young people on the second floor (karaoke), but when the fire started she went to communicate, finding the door secured from the inside.
He said he played and they couldn’t be heard because of the high volume of the music, so he had to get off for his safety. It is worth specifying that the owners of the establishment are absent.
