Aftermath Of A Molotov Cocktail Explosion In A High School - Students Were Making Them For A Protest

Posted • November 2, 2024: Santiago, Chile — A homemade firebomb exploded inside a public high school in Chile on Wednesday, igniting a blaze that injured at least 34 students and one teacher, with several in serious condition, firefighters said. A group of students ages 15 to 18 at the school in central Santiago, the capital, were making Molotov cocktails in a bathroom to be thrown at a protest later when one exploded, said police Lt. Col. Fernando Albornoz. It was not clear what caused the blast. Police said they found bottles and fuel cans likely to make the explosives. Fire department Capt. José Manuel Estefane said 11 students at the prestigious Barros Arana National Boarding School were hospitalized in serious condition with burns affecting their respiratory systems. The other injured students had lighter burns, authorities said, while a teacher trying to help the students collapsed and was hospitalized. Firefighters quickly contained the blaze and blocked roads around the scene.