CEOs play blame game in blast that killed 8

Santo Domingo.- The CEOs of the Polyplas plastics factory and the fuel supplier Propagas have locked horns over who’s to blame for Wednesday’s blast in the barrio Villas Agrícolas, with eight dead and dozens hurt.

A taped phone call allegedly leaked by Polyplast CEO Manuel Diez Cabral after he published a statement blaming the explosion on a natural gas leakage from a Propagas tanker truck.

Propagas owner Arturo Santana is heard threatening Diez for using his company’s name in Polyplas’ statement.

“That would cause irreparable damage to my brand that has taken me more than 60 years to erect,” Santana says.

“I can show you in the courts that this truck is not from Propagas, so what you are doing to me is malicious; If you do that to me, you will regret it. Do not say Propagas, if you put Propagas you are doing irreparable damage and I will not allow it,” Santana said.

Santana says that the truck that was pumping natural gas the day of the explosion in Polyplas, bears the name of Nat Gas, just like the tanker and that he would spend all he has so that Diez regrets linking the Propagas name to the tragedy.

“In other words, you are inflicting on me a malicious damage, call the newspaper and stop that crap, because I will not accept it.”

Diez however notes that Polyplas has a contract with Propagas and not with Nat Gas.