DAKAR/KINSHASA (dpa): At least 150 people have been killed in a blast at a munitions dump in CongoBrazzaville, local media reported Sunday. According to Kinshasa-based Radio Okapi, Brazzaville police chief Charles Bisengimana confirmed the explosions. He said they began in the morning at an arms dump in the residential area of Mpila, which is close to a busy market. The broadcaster is based 18 kilometers away from the city of Brazzaville in the neighboring Democratic Republic of Congo. The disused munitions were reportedly being stored by the government and were due to be destroyed. Media reported that at least 150 corpses have been counted. Scores of injured have been taken to Makekele hospital, where medical staff were reportedly overwhelmed. Panic reportedly spread to Kinshasa, which is separated from CongoBrazzaville by the Congo river. There, some windows caved in due to the force from the explosions. Shops closed their doors. Troops were deployed onto the streets of Brazzaville Sunday afternoon and Defense Minister Charles Zacharie Boao appealed for calm. “Serious measures have been taken by the government in order to contain the blasts,” Boao told local reporters. BM ShortURL: http://goo.gl/zlr3K Tags: 150 Dead, Congo, Munitions Blast Section: Latest News, West Africa
