At least 13 people were killed and another 57 injured after a series of explosionswhich shook the Burundian economic metropolis of Bujumbura after a fire in a warehouse with military arsenal. The army informed about it on Wednesday, writes TASR according to the AFP agency.
The explosions occurred on Tuesday evening at the main ammunition depot of the Burundian army in the southern suburb of Bujumbury, in Musaga. The army confirmed that 13 civilians were killed in the incident. Army spokesman General Gaspard Baratuza said the explosions were caused by an “electrical equipment malfunction.”
A high-ranking police officer present at the scene of the tragedy specified that there were heavy weapons and ammunition in the warehouse. “There are dozens of dead, the number of victims may be higher,” he added. The ammunition depot is located in a densely populated area and is adjacent to an institute for training future army officers. Army logistics warehouses, a military base and a prison are also nearby. According to unverified information, several prisoners are among the victims.
Burundian authorities have called on citizens to report any unexploded ordnance found by phone and not to handle it themselves. A number of posts from parents whose children are missing after the explosions also appeared on social networks.
In an interview with AFP, an unnamed Western diplomat expressed doubts about the transparency of communication: “The regime here is very reluctant to communicate about deaths, especially military ones”. Burundi, which the World Bank ranked among the poorest countries in the world in terms of GDP per capita in 2023, has been in a deep economic crisis for years.
