A series of explosions rocked a military barracks in the Central African country of Equatorial Guinea, killing at least 20 people and injuring more than 600 others, according to reports.
Officials said that the explosions may have been caused by "negligent handling of dynamite" or by actions done by nearby residents. Some of those that were killed were people living nearby the base in the neighborhood of Mondong Nkuantoma in Bata.
President Teodoro Obiang Nguema said that the explosions had caused serious damage to the base and several nearby houses and buildings. The country's defense ministry said that the incident caused several high-caliber ammunition stocks at the base to explode as well.
Authorities said that they will be conducting a thorough investigation to find the exact cause of the explosions. Nguema said that they think the explosions may have been caused by residents that were burning fields close to the military barracks.
Images and videos published by a state television broadcaster showed a huge plume of smoke coming from the barracks. Local media also published videos showing people screaming and running through the streets in panic.
"We don't know what happened, but it is all destroyed," one injured resident said.
Several houses located near the barracks were completely destroyed, while some had their roofs ripped off. Hospitals were reportedly jam-packed with wounded people.
Equatorial Guinea's Health Ministry issued a public call for blood donors and volunteers to help tend to the wounded. The ministry said that a lot of people are still missing and dozens are feared to be trapped under the rubble of destroyed buildings.
"It is important for us to ask our brother countries for their assistance in this lamentable situation since we have a health emergency (due to Covid-19) and the tragedy in Bata," Foreign Minister Simeón Oyono Esono Angue said.
Angue said that he has already arranged a meeting with foreign ambassadors to secure additional aid for the victims of the blast.
The Spanish Embassy advised all Spanish nationals to remain at home for their own safety. Equatorial Guinea - a country of more than 1.3 million people - was a former Spanish colony. The country gained its independence in 1968.
