200 die in weapons depot blasts

A blast rocked Brazzaville, the capital of the Republic of Congo (AP)
4 March 2012

More than 200 people were killed when a fire at a weapons depot sparked a series of explosions in the capital of the Republic of Congo.

More bodies were coming into the morgue, which counted 136 bodies, while a hospital worker reported 70 more deaths and a local hospital reported at least 237 wounded people.

The blasts flattened many buildings in Brazzaville and sent more than 2,000 people fleeing their homes.

Didier Boutsindi, of the presidential office, said many people were trapped in a church that collapsed.

The explosions shook houses in Brazzaville and echoed across the Congo River to the capital of the neighbouring country.

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