Africa News
Johannesburg/Dakar – Security forces in Brazzaville pulled bodies from wreckage sites on Monday evening, after a series of blasts at a munitions depot in the capital Brazzaville killed at least 206 people and injured about 1,500.
Medical staff have been overwhelmed by cases in the aftermath of the five explosions Sunday, which government officials said were probably caused by an electrical short-circuit.
Meanwhile, firefighters continued to work into the evening in order to prevent flames spreading to a second arms dump adjacent to the main site.
Government officials in the country of 4.2 million appealed for international help in the wake of the disaster. France and Morocco were among the first to react; a plane carrying 2.5 tonnes of emergency aid was scheduled to leave Paris for the francophone nation early Monday evening.
NGOs and UN agencies already working in the Republic of Congo have sent health kits to hospitals and are in the process of deploying emergency teams. Defense Minister Zacharie Bowao called doctors from across the country to Brazzaville hospitals, as local media reported that some of the injured had died due to a shortage of medical staff and resources.
On Monday afternoon, a local television station showed footage of dozens of children who have been unable to find their parents since the blasts hit on Sunday. Witnesses described scenes of devastation inside homes, places of worship and a market. Among the buildings that caved in on Sunday morning were two churches where worshippers had gathered for mass.
The death toll climbed to 206 on Monday afternoon, but many people are still reported missing, and hospitals have indicated that many of the wounded may succumb to their injuries.
In an address to the nation, President Denis Sassou N’Guesso said the country had been hit by ‘an exceptional situation, a tragedy.’
Sassou N’Guesso said many residents ‘had lost their homes and are homeless’ in the blasts, which also destroyed shops, and offices.
He said the government of the oil-producing nation would do all it could to provide assistance.
Troops have been deployed to guard smashed buildings and shops, and the president said there were reports of looting.
‘I want to attract the attention of deviants who are trying to take advantage of the situation,’ Sassou N’Guesso said. ‘There will be consequences for their actions.’
Among the dead were several Chinese workers with the Beijing Construction Engineering Group in the central African country, according to China’s official Xinhua news agency.
The US and Britain expressed their condolences, and several nations, in addition to France and Morocco, sent emergency aid on Monday.
Meanwhile, the Mines Advisory Group (MAG), which has dealt with similar munitions depot explosions in other parts of Africa, released a statement.
‘The suffering and damage caused by these incidents underlines the importance of storing munitions safely and also the importance of providing states with the technical support that can enable them to do so,’ it said.
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