Ecuador city sifts through rubble of deadly blast

RIOBAMBA, Ecuador -- Ecuadorean highlanders searched through remnants of their homes Thursday after an army ammunition depot exploded and set off blasts that ripped through a neighborhood. At least seven people were killed and more than 140 injured.

The smell of gunpowder still hung in the air a day after the explosions shattered windows, knocked down brick walls, and ripped roofs from homes across seven blocks in this mountain city of 150,000 people.

President Gustavo Noboa declared a state of emergency Thursday.

The 20-minute chain of explosions began Wednesday afternoon when a hand grenade went off and detonated the ammunition dump at a tank base in Riobamba, 100 miles south of Quito in a valley surrounded by snow capped mountains.

Noboa said the grenade was accidentally dropped during an inspection at the storage site.

Most of the injuries resulted from flying glass fragments, according to the Red Cross. Three soldiers and a civilian were killed on the base. The other three fatalities were in the city.