At least 11 people were killed and 88 seriously injured in a fire on Monday in central Conakry, Guinea’s capital, following the explosion of the country’s main fuel depot, the civil defense operations director said.
Emergency services registered “11 deaths and 88 seriously injured,” Jean Traoré announced during a meeting with the foreign minister and ambassadors.
These figures are only preliminary as several injured people are still being treated, the official added. An earlier report indicated at least eight deaths.
The explosion, which was accompanied by a fire, occurred shortly after 12:30 a.m. (1:30 a.m. in Lisbon), in the administrative and business district of Kaloum, close to the port in Guinea-Conakry’s capital, according to media and residents contacted. AFP.
A thick cloud of smoke covered the sky over Conakry this morning as residents fled the area of the incident, images posted on social media showed.
According to witnesses from the French news agency, dozens of civil protection vehicles rushed to the area around Kaloum.
“Kaloum is on fire. The port sector is completely barricaded by the police and firefighters rushed towards the port. [local do] disaster,” a resident of the area, contacted by telephone, told AFP.
Kaloum houses the headquarters of the central government, including the Presidential Palace, the National Assembly, several ministries, embassies and banks, as well as residential areas.
The military junta’s transitional government established after the September 2021 coup told local media in the early hours of the morning that “a fire of unknown cause broke out at the Guinean Petroleum Company’s main hydrocarbon deposit in Kaloum. “, expressing his “deep concern” about “an event whose magnitude and consequences could have a direct impact on the population”.
The government source urged residents to stay away from the area, adding that “public and private sector workers, with the exception of security and defense forces and medical workers, are asked to stay at home.”
“Public and private schools will remain closed,” the government said, promising to “open an investigation to determine the causes and responsibilities,” according to a statement the Guinean government published on its Facebook account.
Source: DN
