Brazzaville arms dump blasts

Brazzaville arms dump blasts
Brazzaville is located in Republic of the Congo
Brazzaville
Brazzaville
Location of arms dump
Date4 March 2012 (4 March 2012)
TimeAround 8:00 AM WAT
LocationBrazzaville, Republic of the Congo
Coordinates04°14′33″S 15°17′42″E / 4.24250°S 15.29500°E / -4.24250; 15.29500
Casualties
300+ dead[1][2]
2,500+ injured[3][2]

On 4 March 2012, a series of blasts occurred at an army arms dump in Brazzaville, the capital of the Republic of the Congo. At least 300 people were killed by the explosions.[2][4] Additional bodies were said to be "unfindable."[5] Among the dead were six Chinese workers from a Beijing Construction Engineering Group work site close to the armoury.[6] Interior Minister Raymond Mboulou said that nearby hospitals were overflowing with injuries, with many wounded lying in hallways due to lack of space.[5][7] Total injuries exceeded 2,500.[2] More than 121,000 people were left homeless and 672 million dollars in damages were done.[2] One survivor described the event as feeling like "the apocalypse;"[7] others described it as "like a tsunami" or "earthquake".[8][9]

  1. ^ smallarmssurvey.org
  2. ^ a b c d e Robert Mbakouo (8 March 2012). "Congo Will Pay 3 Million Francs to Blast Victims' Families". Bloomberg. Archived from the original on 16 April 2014. Retrieved 9 March 2012.
  3. ^ smallarmssurvey.org
  4. ^ smallarmssurvey.org
  5. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference CNN was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  6. ^ Hinshaw, Drew (4 March 2012). "Blasts Rock Republic of Congo's Capital". The Wall Street Journal. Archived from the original on 3 February 2016. Retrieved 4 March 2012.
  7. ^ a b "Scores dead in Congo munitions depot blasts". Al Jazeera. 4 March 2012. Archived from the original on 5 March 2012. Retrieved 4 March 2012.
  8. ^ Cite error: The named reference WaPost was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  9. ^ smallarmssurvey.org