Death Toll In Republic of Congo Munitions Blast Tops 240
By Ria Novosti
The death toll in Sunday’s munitions depot blasts in Brazzaville, the capital of the Republic of Congo, has topped 240, national media said on Wednesday.
A short circuit and subsequent fire led to a series of powerful blasts at a military depot in Brazzaville on Sunday, causing hundreds of buildings to collapse, including two churches full of worshippers.
The country’s state radio puts the official death toll at 246 people. More than 2,000 people were wounded and 5,000 lost their homes as a result.
The unofficial death count has risen to “more than 250 people” as those critically injured succumbed to their injuries, the African Press Agency said.
A hospital morgue official told the agency that the death toll is likely to climb further as “a number of casualties are still buried beneath the rubble of houses blown up in the blast.”
