At least 15 people have died, and over 400 are wounded following a series of explosions in Equatorial Guinea on Sunday.
President Teodoro Obiang Nguema said the blasts, which took place at military barracks, were caused by “negligent handling of dynamite,” according to the Associated Press, which cited state television reports. Nguema added that the detonations “caused damage in almost all the houses and buildings” in the neighborhood of Mondong Nkuantoma in Bata.
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Some reports have placed the death toll as high as 20, but the president’s statements indicated 15 were killed by the munitions. The country’s Ministry of Health and Social Welfare have placed the total number of deceased at 17 and have pointed to at least 420 injured people.
Authorities in the Central African country said people have gone missing inside buildings, and they have begun to request blood donations to assist the wounded.
“It is important for us to ask our brother countries for their assistance in this lamentable situation since we have a health emergency (due to COVID-19) and the tragedy in Bata,” said Foreign Minister Simeón Oyono Esono Angue.
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This is a developing story, and it will be updated.
