Official: 136 Killed In Republic Of Congo Blasts

Published March 4, 2012 4:18PM (EST)

BRAZZAVILLE, Republic of Congo (AP) — A morgue in the capital of the Republic of Congo has taken in 136 bodies of those killed in blasts caused by an arms depot fire in the capital.

More bodies were coming into the morgue Sunday afternoon. A local hospital reported at least 237 wounded people.

Sunday's blasts flattened many buildings in Brazzaville and sent more than 2,000 fleeing their homes. Didier Boutsindi of the presidential office says untold numbers of people were trapped in a church that collapsed.

The explosions shook houses in Brazzaville and echoed across the Congo River to the capital of the neighboring country.

The Republic of Congo is often overshadowed by its much larger neighbor, Congo.


By Salon Staff

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