than 80 others, the base commander said Saturday. The blasts struck Friday afternoon at an explosives storage facility in Viacha, a town of roughly 114,000 people located about 30 kilometers (18 miles) southwest of La Paz. By Saturday, streets were still strewn with rubble and windows in nearby buildings lay shattered. Base commander Colonel Antonio Amaru said 14 uniformed personnel who were in the affected area "have not yet been located," with search and rescue efforts ongoing. The Defense Ministry identified the missing as a sergeant and 13 conscripts aged 18 and 19. The dead were two young men serving their first year of mandatory military service. The cause of the explosions, which sent a plume of smoke into the air, remains under investigation. Devastated relatives confronted riot-shielded police blocking access to the base. Some indigenous Aymara people tearfully pleaded with soldiers for news of their loved ones, while others tried unsuccessfully to force their way in. "They haven't moved even a single stone... My nephew is still inside the rubble," Adolfo Copa told AFP. Irineo Mamani, 65, said he simply wanted confirmation that his son was on the list of missing persons. The blast force tore off roofs, sent rocks flying and uprooted trees, damaging dozens of nearby homes. Defense Minister Ernesto Justiniano reported that the first explosion involved "black powder, corresponding to pyrotechnic material stored at the site," while the cause of the larger second blast was still being analyzed. One neighbor with facial injuries told the newspaper El Deber the second explosion "blew me five meters backward" and knocked him unconscious. President Rodrigo Paz expressed "deep solidarity with the families" and ordered a "thorough, technical and transparent" investigation to establish the causes, verify compliance with safety protocols, and determine any responsibilities. Viacha authorities declared three days of mourning, and the town's prosecutor's office opened an investigation into manslaughter and other crimes. (Bssnews)