Authorities and witnesses claimed on Wednesday that explosions and fire at a military munitions stockpile in the capital of Chad resulted in fatalities and sparked desperate attempts to put out the fire and heal the injured.
Thick smoke enveloped the clouds in the West African nation as the explosions occurred late on Tuesday at the N’Djamena depot, lighting up the sky.
“Material and human damage were caused by the fire,” President Mahamat Deby Itno said on Facebook.
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“Sincere condolences to the bereaved families, peace to the souls of the victims, and speedy recovery to the injured.”
He did not give the number of fatalities.
The cause of the fire was not immediately clear, and the president said an investigation would be conducted.
People living in the area panicked, thinking the explosion was an armed attack, resident Oumar Mahamat said.
The situation was later brought under control with security and health officials deployed in the area, government spokesperson Abderaman Koulamallah said.
He urged residents to remain calm.
Local media reported the blasts started just before midnight and lasted more than 30 minutes as nearby buildings shook and ammunition was thrown from the depot with explosive force.
Authorities called on residents to stay out of the area, which was taken over by security forces gathering the scattered artillery shells.
Allamine Moussa, a resident, called on the government to “come to our aid urgently.”
“Many families have recorded deaths and it’s sad,” Moussa said.
Chad, a nation of over 18 million people, has been experiencing political unrest both before and after a contentious presidential election that saw Deby Itno emerge victorious.
During the period of military control that followed his father’s death in 2021, he served as the nation’s acting president.
After military takeovers in Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger in recent years, the U.S. and France regard the nation as one of their few reliable friends in the unstable Sahel region of Africa, south of the Sahara Desert.
