Soledad Miria

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Soledad Miria after the blaze.
Soledad Miria after the blaze.

Soledad Miria is a small Caribbean island of Panama with 1,014 inhabitants, lying at 9°26′42″N, 78°53′59.63″W. The island is only 700 metres long but is densely populated. At approximately 9:30 pm on December 26, 2006, a fire started by the explosion of a gas cooker destroyed 39 buildings within 10 minutes, approximately half of those on the island. 348 people were injured, but none died.[1] The island was left with no potable water.[2] Many of the inhabitants of the small island took to the sea in fishing boats to avoid the flames.[1]

[edit] References

  1. ^ a b The island blown up by a gas cooker. Retrieved on 2007-01-05.
  2. ^ Incendio arrasa con la mitad de isla habitada por indígenas en Panamá (Spanish Language Newspaper). Retrieved on 2006-12-28.