At 7:15 a.m., a powerful explosion on the 12th floor of the PH Urbana building (33 floors) shattered windows, overturned furniture, and scattered debris, affecting citizens and vehicles. According to firefighters, the stove acted as a gas reservoir that magnified the force of the explosion, creating vectors in different directions. The deflagration—how firefighters defined the explosion that day—forced the evacuation of all building occupants for safety reasons and to prevent further risks. However, an expert report by the Technological University of Panama (UTP) concluded that the gas leak was caused by two perforations in the pipe on the 14th floor, specifically between the cylinders connecting apartments C-1 and C-2. The incident left 21 people injured, including a woman who suffered burns to 80% of her body. A report from the Fire Department attributed the explosion to a gas accumulation from a stove in apartment 12-C of the building. After an out-of-court settlement reached by the parties, Judge Sandra Enid Castillo agreed to a request to dismiss the criminal case against ten people for the explosion that occurred on November 1, 2022, at the PH Urbana building in Obarrio. During a hearing held this Friday at the Accusatory Penal System of Plaza Ágora, the judge accepted the complainants' motion to dismiss the charges, as well as the Public Ministry's request to apply the principle of opportunity (which allows the prosecutor to waive criminal action when the accused seeks to repair the victim). The motion was presented by lawyer Ramsés Álvarez, one of the complainants, prior to conversations held with the defendants' lawyers. During the hearing, Judge Castillo, after hearing the motion, reviewing the defense's and prosecution's opinions, and verifying that the proposal complied with the Criminal Code's norms, decided to grant the request and lift all precautionary measures applied to the accused. The judge's decision was based on numeral 2 of article 212 of the Criminal Procedure Code, which establishes the archiving of the case when it involves an incident that does not seriously affect the community's interest or when the defendant's participation is deemed of minor relevance. The agreement, the amount of which was not disclosed, obligates the companies involved in the building's construction, its supervision, the alarm service, and the promoter to pay compensation to the 18 people affected by the explosion. The incident occurred on November 1, 2022, on 54th Street, located in Obarrio.
