Congo: Church aids survivors of Brazzaville explosion

smoke over Brazzaville - screen shot

The death toll continues to rise in Brazzaville, capital of the Republic of Congo, following a series of catastrophic explosions in an ammunition store on Sunday, which destroyed buildings in a four km radius. The Catholic Church is providing medical aid for the injured and food and shelter for more than 2,000 people who have lost their homes.

The Nunciature of Brazzaville said in a statement sent to Fides: "The city of Brazzaville, capital of the Republic of Congo, was awakened at dawn (on Sunday), due to five powerful explosions that made one think of the beginning of a new war.

Throughout the morning, several explosions followed caused by the fire of the national arsenal of the army, located in the populous district of Mpila, on the outskirts of Brazzaville.

The outbreak of missiles, bombs and ammunition almost razed the buildings of the neighbourhood to the ground, causing more than 200 deaths and over 2,000 wounded. The Sisters of St Joseph of Cluny, who work at the university hospital of the Capital estimate that the number of casualties and victims is likely to increase.

The church of Saint Louis des Francais was razed to the ground by the explosion which occured shortly after Mass had ended. The Apostolic Nunciature in Brazzaville was also damaged by the explosions. The shock wave of powerful explosions caused damage throughout the city and even reached Kinshasa, capital of the Democratic Republic of Congo, about 10 km from the site of the accident.

The cause of the accident does not appear to be political (coup or terrorist attack), but due to human error, which triggered a chain reaction.

The Apostolic Nunciature is assisting state authorities in addressimg the humanitarian crisis. The Catholic Church, is assisting the wounded and provide shelter, food and other assistance to those affected by the disaster.
Currently, more than two thousand people are housed in facilities provided by the Catholic Church, such as the Place Mariale, adjacent to the Cathedral, the parishes of Notre-Dame du Rosaire and Saint Pierre Claver in the populous district of Bacongo, and then the community of Saint Charles Lwanga and the Ugandan Martyrs.

The Caritas diocesan and many clinics of the religious Orders, scattered in various neighborhoods of the Capital, are doing a commendable job in treating and assisting the hundreds of injured who cannot be hospitalized in state hospitals, already at the verge of collapse.

Source: Fides/BBC