At least 206 people dead as arms depot explodes in Republic of Congo

BRAZZAVILLE, Republic of Congo - Homes and buildings collapsed in the Congolese capital after an arms depot exploded Sunday, killing at least 206 people and entombing countless others in crushed structures including inside two churches that buckled while parishioners were celebrating Mass, officials and witnesses said. The shock waves shattered windows in a three-mile (five-kilometer) radius surrounding the barracks storing the munitions, including across the river that separates Brazzaville, the capital of the Republic of Congo, from Kinshasa, the capital of the larger Central African nation of Congo. Government spokesman Bienvenu Okyemi blamed a short-circuit for the fire that set off the successive blasts. "It's like a tsunami passed through here," said Christine Ibata, a student. "The roofs of houses were blown off." Some 1,500 people were injured, Okyemi said on national radio. The register of a morgue in Brazzaville already had 136 bodies Sunday afternoon, as more continued to arrive. A doctor at the capital's military hospital who asked not to be named because he was not authorized to speak to the press reported 70 more deaths. Okyemi put the official toll at 146 dead, at a late-night news conference, but said rescue workers still were looking for corpses. He said the main fire was under control, though some homes still were burning. President Denis Sassou-Nguesso toured two hospitals and a morgue as injured people were being brought in including a 4-year-old boy who had lost his leg. The president was visibly moved, and in a statement read on state TV he said, "We have no less than 100 dead, many wounded and significant structural damage." The president said that the government was doing it all it could to launch a rescue effort. "We are trying to organize ourselves. I am asking the population to show courage and solidarity. ... All the material and human loss will be evaluated and the government will take a just decision," Sassou-Nguesso said. "This tragedy is an accident." Okyemi said the government has decided to move all barracks outside the capital. There are at least five military camps in Brazzaville. He also announced a curfew for a perimeter around the affected area, but did not specify the area or the hours. And he said the government is taking temporary charge of the many children found wandering around alone, apparently separated from their parents in the chaos. It's unclear what started the fire at the tank regiment's barracks located in the capital's densely populated northern neighborhood of Ouenze, but an official at the president's office said the depot is used to store war-grade weapons including mortars. The first blast went off at around 8 a.m., and several smaller blasts were heard throughout the morning. Another major explosion went off at around 1 p.m.