At least 27 died in Dominican Republic explosion: authorities

The death toll from an explosion that ripped through a commercial area of a town in the Dominican Republic has risen to 27, says the Director of the Emergency Operation Center (COE), Juan Manuel Mendez, during a press conference.

Officials said the explosion began on Monday with a fire near a bakery in the city of San Cristobal, which lies just west of the capital of Santo Domingo.