The Story of the Nicaraguan Man Who Lost his Life in the Explosion Under the Bridge of the Americas

Here is what we know so far about the person who died in the accident under the Bridge of the Americas.  His name was Jeyner Treminio, 40 years old, from Nicaragua. According to media reports from that country, he was born in Santa María de Pantasma, a municipality in the department of Jinotega.  He was an employee of Environmental Solutions Development, Inc., a company that, according to Panama Oil Terminals, SA (POTSA), had sublet an area within its concession in the La Boca sector, in Balboa. 

This company is dedicated to waste management and fumigation inside or outside port facilities.  According to Victor Alvarez, director of the Panama Fire Department, Treminio was trapped between tanker trucks containing fuel with an estimated capacity of between 5,000 and 10,000 gallons each.  More than 75 members of the Fire Department participated in the firefighting efforts. They faced complex conditions due to the risk of further explosions and the intensity of the fire.  The Nicaraguan man was not the only victim. Two firefighters suffered burns, but are out of danger. 

‘He was My Dad’

“He was my dad, he loved his daughters, and now a 5-year-old girl doesn’t even know her father died. We can’t even see his remains to give him a proper burial. And even worse, we won’t know if there will be justice for his death,” a woman wrote on the social media accounts of a Nicaraguan news outlet.  An inspection by the Ministry of Labor and Workforce Development (Mitradel) determined that Treminio did not have a valid work permit. 

Minister Jackeline Muñoz described the worker’s death as “unacceptable”.  “Workplace safety is not optional. No operation, contract, or business can be above the life of a worker,” she wrote on Instagram.  She also reported that the person had lacked a work permit since 2021. “This is not a mistake. It is a serious compliance failure on the part of the company,” she added.

When the Alarm Went Off

The alarm sounded at the Fire Department at 4:12 pm on Monday, April 6. It was the first workday after the Easter break.  The team was deployed to the area along with personnel from other government agencies, including the Civil Protection System. The road was closed for 40 minutes, reopened, and then closed again until Tuesday afternoon. 

‘I Managed to Count Five Explosions’

Kathyland Navarro, vice-rector of the Maritime University of Panama, an educational center located in the area of ​​the incident, told reporters that they first observed “a small fire between two tanks”, but that the fire quickly escalated. “I managed to count five explosions,” she recounted. They immediately began evacuating the university. 

Following the incident, the Public Ministry, an institution headed by Attorney Luis Carlos Gómez Ruddy, opened an investigation to determine the causes of the accident and establish possible responsibilities, through the Homicide and Femicide Section of the Metropolitan Prosecutor’s Office. 

Meanwhile, the National Police reported that after the discovery of a lifeless body in the area of ​​the fire, the Directorate of Judicial Investigation, in coordination with the Public Ministry, began the corresponding procedures to determine responsibilities.  The Ministry of Public Works, headed by Minister José Luis Andrade, ordered forensic pathology tests on the bridge to assess its structural condition.  The road reopened on Tuesday afternoon, but with restrictions for some vehicles. 

Our Thanks to Markus for pictures on the scene of the fire on the Bridge of the Americas in Panama.