At least 17 people have been killed and more than 400 wounded in a series of powerful explosions at a military base in Equatorial Guinea’s largest Bata city, Al Jazeera says.
The cause of the blasts on Sunday was not immediately apparent. Early reports suggested they might have come from the armoury, according to a journalist with the local TVGE channel.
The health ministry said that there were 17 deaths on Twitter, while the number of wounded people stood at 420.
“We hear the explosion, and we see the smoke, but we don’t know what’s going on,” a resident named Teodoro Nguema told the AFP news agency by telephone.
Local television showed groups of people pulling bodies from piles of rubble, some of which were carried away wrapped in bedsheets. There were also media appeals for people to donate blood, saying hospitals are overwhelmed.
PRAY FOR BATA (EQUATORIAL GUINEA) thereâs has been for explosions in the economic capital city of Bata, Equatorial Guinea. No source, the internet and network is shut down pic.twitter.com/Bivz4bWG6x
— Andrea M Nguema M (@NguemaAndrea) March 7, 2021
