A huge fire at a military ammunition depot in Chad has killed at least nine people and injured 46 others, the health minister has said.
The death toll was in danger of rising as many of those wounded were in an “extremely serious” condition, Abdelmadjid Abderahim told journalists.
The explosions from the depot in the Goudji area of the capital, N’Djamena, lasted for about half an hour overnight.
Video footage showed them lighting up the night sky, with witnesses saying they could be heard miles away.
The weapons depot in Goudji is the country’s main arsenal and is in the north of the city near the military headquarters, a French army base and the airport. There are also numerous residential houses in the neighbourhood.
Earlier, Foreign Minister, Abderaman Koulamallah told French media the cause of the fire was accidental and far fewer people had died than had initially been feared.
“We were expecting dozens and dozens of deaths. In the end, the collateral damage isn’t very big. There aren’t many civilians who lost their lives,” Koulamallah, who is also the government’s spokesman said.
In his briefing, the Health Minister did not specify if those killed or injured were military personnel or civilians.
On Wednesday morning, President Mahamat Idriss Déby visited the site of the incident and those receiving treatment in hospital.
After midnight he posted his condolences on Facebook and ordered an investigation into the fire: “Peace to the souls of the victims, sincere condolences to the grieving families and a speedy recovery to the wounded.”
Koulamallah, who had urged the public to remain calm in the immediate aftermath of the explosions, said an initial inspection suggested several people had been killed in the ammunition storeroom.
