San Cristóbal explosion victims sue Consorcio Rilco and State

Three years after a devastating explosion at an old market in San Cristóbal killed 38 people and injured 59 others, victims have filed a lawsuit in the Superior Administrative Court. The legal action targets the Dominican State, the Ministry of Public Works, the San Cristóbal City Council, and Consorcio Rilco, whom the victims identify as the parties responsible for the management and control of the site at the time of the incident.

This new legal move follows the acquittal of the Vidal family and the company Vidal Plast by the Second Criminal Chamber of San Cristóbal, which ruled that the Public Ministry lacked sufficient evidence to establish criminal responsibility. Rafael Nina, the legal representative for the majority of the victims, stated that they do not hold the Vidal family responsible but instead view themselves as victims of the Dominican State due to what he described as an inadequate and non-serious investigation into the tragedy.