Environment & Science / 09 March 2021
20 dead in huge blasts
A series of explosions in the Equatorial Guinea city of Bata has killed at least 20 people and injured more than 600. President Teodoro Obiang said Sunday’s blasts, which damaged almost all of the buildings in the Central African city, were caused by the negligent storing of dynamite at the military base. Obiang, who has ruled the country for almost 42 years, said it likely started with farmers burning off surrounding fields. His flashy vice-presidential son, Teodoro Nguema Obiang Mangue, who has responsibility for defence and security, was spotted inspecting the scene of the blasts. State television showed a massive plume of smoke above the site of the explosions – thought to be from at least 5 blasts – and crowds fleeing the area. Workers were treating the injured at the site of the blast and in medical facilities, but officials fear more people are buried in the rubble of collapsed buildings.
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