Equatorial Guinea’s death toll rises to 98

The death toll from a series of explosions in Equatorial Guinea rose to 98 on Sunday, officials said.

Another 615 people were injured, with 299 in hospital.

The blasts hit a military base in the country’s capital, Bata. Officials blame poorly stored dynamite along with stubble burned by nearby farmers.

The death toll, which was updated after volunteers searched the wreckage for bodies on Monday, more than doubled the initial estimate of 31.

Three young children were found alive and taken to hospital.

Nearly all buildings and houses in the city suffered “major damage”, said President Teodoro Obiang Nguema.

In a statement, President Obiang Nguema said the explosions were caused “by the negligence of a unit charged with the maintenance and protection of dynamite and explosives stores” at the Nkoantoma military base.

He said the base ‘caught fire because neighboring farmers cleared agricultural land by setting it on fire, leading to the explosion’. The president called for international aid.

In a series of tweets, the Ministry of Health called on volunteer health workers to go to the Bata Regional Hospital and to make urgent blood donations. The ministry said mental health teams are also being deployed to help victims.

Some hospitals were overwhelmed by the number of patients admitted, state TV reported. It broadcast images of wounded people lying on the floor of an overcrowded hospital.

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A video of the aftermath of the blasts showed a chaotic scene with troublemakers fleeing while smoke drifted across the area.

One resident told the AFP news agency: “We did not sleep all night. The houses burned all night and we still heard small explosions.”

Another describes how his uncle found the burnt bodies of five members of his family.

The only opposition party, the CPDS, described the blasts as “the biggest humanitarian disaster in the history of Equatorial Guinea” and called on Spain, France and the United States to send aid, including rescue teams, medical staff and medicine. .

Spanish Foreign Minister Arancha Gonzalez tweeted on Monday that Spain would “continue with the immediate dispatch of a consignment of humanitarian aid”.

Five things about Equatorial Guinea:

• Africa’s only Spanish-speaking country, gained independence from Spain in 1968

• It is divided between the mainland and an island, where the capital Malabo is located

• President Obiang Nguema, who has been in power since 1979, has been repeatedly accused of human rights violations

• Western officials and NGOs have also accused the president and his family of massive corruption

• Despite oil and gas wealth, 76% of the 1.5 million people live in poverty, according to the UN and the World Bank.