Explosion at Altaplaza Mall KFC Leaves 12 Injured

An explosion during the installation of kitchen equipment at a KFC in Altaplaza Mall in Panama City left 12 people injured, some of them with second- and third-degree burns, Panamanian authorities said on Friday.

Some of the victims were treated for smoke inhalation and released, but some of the burn victims remained hospitalized over the weekend. All victims were employees of the Franquicias Panameñas, S.A., (Panama Franchises, S.A.), which runs three of Yum! Brands’ franchises, and Dairy Queen in Panama.

Both the public prosecutor’s office (Ministerio Público) and the Work and Labor Development Ministry launched an investigation into the explosion, which occurred Friday afternoon at the food court on the second floor of the mall.

Altaplaza Mall, which opened in March 2016, said in a statement that the injured workers were inside the KFC during the explosion but that the mall was operating normally.