"206 killed in Congo arms depot blast" Associated Press, March 05, 2012
BRAZZAVILLE, Republic of Congo - At least 206 people were killed when an arms depot exploded in the Congolese capital Sunday, and inhabitants were entombed as houses and buildings collapsed, officials said, including dozens attending Mass in a church that buckled under the force of the blast.
The shock waves shattered windows in a 3-mile radius surrounding the arms depot, including across the river that separates Brazzaville, the capital of the Republic of Congo, from Kinshasa, capital of the larger Central African nation of Congo.
“It’s like a tsunami passed through here,’’ said Christine Ibata, a student. “The quarter has practically collapsed, with roofs of houses blown off.’’
A morgue in Brazzaville took in 136 bodies Sunday afternoon as more continued to arrive. A local hospital reported at least 237 patients wounded in the blasts. President Denis Sassou-Nguesso toured two hospitals and a morgue as dozens of injured people were being brought in, including a 4-year-old who had lost his leg. The president was visibly moved but made no public comments.
It is unclear what started the fire at the weapons depot, but the death toll is likely to rise as people remained trapped inside crushed structures.
--more--"
