Nearly 100 people were confirmed dead after the explosions at a military base in the Central African country over the weekend, the country’s health ministry said on Tuesday.
The explosions in the port city of Bata on Sunday killed 98 people and injured 615 others, according to the latest government count.
More than 60 people were evacuated from the rubble of the blast site by firefighters and other agencies, officials said.
About half of the wounded were discharged from the hospital, while the rest are still being treated.
Resident Carmen Alebeso told CNN that she was in her car when the first explosion occurred around 2 pm local time on Sunday.
“It was a very loud noise and everyone got out of their cars and we were all in shock. We saw the typical image of an atomic bomb in front of us. It was a confusing and desperate situation, people were screaming and crying, ”he said. she said.
All buildings in the area were completely destroyed and the bodies were still being removed from the area’s rubble on Monday, she added.
Alebeso added that medical aid is not reaching those who need it most.
“We have three main hospitals and they all collapsed. So many injured people, it was horrible. People were crying trying to get some treatment. It was a terrifying situation, ”she said.
“We ask for the contribution of blood donors”, says the Ministry of Health said monday on Twitter, inviting volunteer health personnel to go to Hospital Regional de Bata.
President Obiang Nguema Mbasogo blamed the military for mishandling dynamite and other explosive devices kept in his care, which he said caused the explosions after individuals suspected of being farmers started a fire in a field near the military base.
“Bata was the site of an accident caused by the neglect and neglect of a unit charged with caring for and protecting the dynamite and explosive supplies near the ammunition at the Nkoantoma Military Base, which caught fire with the burning of nearby land by neighbors, causing a explosion in the dynamite and explosives store and subsequently in the ammunition, “the president said in a statement on Sunday.
Tutu Alicante, an American human rights lawyer from Equatorial Guinea, told CNN that the government must answer questions about why deadly explosives were kept in the military field.
“In other countries, these things are kept in remote places, like deserts. Why is dynamite being kept in the middle of the largest city in the country and in the barracks where the army and their family live? We need a proper investigation into what happened “, he said.
President Mbasogo, 78, called for calm and said he was calling an emergency meeting to assess the situation and get help for those in need.
According to the report, health professionals and firefighters are providing assistance to victims and transferring people with serious injuries to hospitals.
Mbasogo called on the international community to assist his country in repairing the public and private infrastructure damaged in the explosion – which he said “will involve significant economic resources”.
The incident occurred while Equatorial Guinea was reeling from the economic effects of the coronavirus pandemic.
Equatorial Guinea is one of the smallest countries in Africa, with just over 850,000 residents. Bata is one of the two cities in the country with a population of more than 30,000 inhabitants, the other being the island capital Malabo.
Mbasogo, one of Africa’s oldest leaders, ruled the small nation of Central Africa for 42 years. His son Teodoro Nguema Obiang Mangue is the vice president and is known for his extravagance.
A collection of $ 13 million ultra-expensive supercars was seized from him in 2019 and auctioned in Switzerland after an investigation into money laundering.