Fuel Explosion Rocks Guinea Port

At least eight people have died and dozens are injured after an explosion in the port of Guinea’s capital city, Conakry, in the early hours of this morning, Monday 18 December.

The blast took place at a fuel depot in the Kaloum neighbourhood, with an ensuing raging fire adding extra pressure to the responding emergency services.

Hundreds of people – some of whom were woken up by having their windows and roofs blown off – are evacuating the area. Ignace Deen and Donka, Conakry’s two main hospitals, are doing their best to deal with the influx of wounded people.

According to reports, Kaloum is an administrative district which houses the presidency and most of the West African nation’s ministries.

In a statement released to the media, the government announced that it “expresses its deep concern about this event, the scale and consequences of which could have a direct impact on the population.”

Authorities are still unclear as to what caused the explosion; Schools in the capital have been closed and all non-essential workers have been asked to stay at home as authorities seek to understand more about the incident.

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