Huge explosions rock Equatorial Guinea's main city

[muriel_volestrangler]

At least 17 people have died and hundreds more have been injured in a series of explosions in Equatorial Guinea, the health ministry says.

Some 420 people were injured following the blasts, which happened near a military barracks in the main city of Bata on Sunday.

The blasts were caused by "negligence" relating to the storage of dynamite at the barracks, the president said.
...
State television showed people looking for survivors in the rubble and lifting up debris from collapsed buildings.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-56311677

[marble falls]

1. You know it can't be good when they use "negligence" and "dynamite" in the same sentence.

[Martin68]

2. Sounds very unlikely. Dynamite can burn without exploding. It doesn't explode if you hammer it. It

takes a spark to explode, which is highly unlikely to accidentally take place in a very humid tropical country like Equatorial Guinea.

[Eugene]

3. "the base 'caught fire due to neighbouring farmers clearing farming land by setting it alight, ...'"

...updated at OP link.

Bata explosion: Equatorial Guinea blast hurts hundreds

1 hour ago

-snip-

In a statement, President Obiang Nguema said the blasts had been caused "by the negligence of a unit charged with the care and protection of stores of dynamite and explosives" at the Nkoantoma military base.

He said the base "caught fire due to neighbouring farmers clearing farming land by setting it alight, leading to the explosion". The president called for international aid.

In a series of tweets, the health ministry said 420 injured people were being treated in hospitals, and called for volunteer health workers to go to Bata Regional Hospital.

-snip-

Read more: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-56311677

Link to tweet

[muriel_volestrangler]

4. Bata explosion: Equatorial Guinea death toll rises to 98

The death toll from a series of explosions in Equatorial Guinea on Sunday has risen to 98, officials say.

Another 615 people were injured, with 299 still in hospital.

The blasts hit a military base in the country's main city, Bata. Officials blame badly stored dynamite along with stubble burning by nearby farmers.
...
Almost all buildings and homes in the city suffered "huge damage", President Teodoro Obiang Nguema said.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-56300088