At least 13 people were killed and dozens others wounded by a series of powerful explosions at an ammunitions depot in Burundi’s largest city, Bujumbura, the army has said.
It said in its latest update that 57 people, including three soldiers, were wounded. Houses and private vehicles were damaged, while military equipment and facilities were destroyed by the blasts, it added.
The explosions erupted late on Tuesday at the facility, located in the suburb of Musaga, and were caused by an electrical fault, an army spokesperson had said earlier.
Shrapnel and debris were propelled more than 5km (three miles).
Earlier, family members and eyewitnesses had told the BBC of four separate deaths in the city. Security sources had told the AFP news agency that dozens had died.
One woman told BBC Great Lakes that a relative, who had been detained at Mpimba Central Prison, had died after a bomb hit the facility.
Numerous inmates at the prison, which is located near the ammunitions store, are reported to have been injured.
In the north-eastern neighbourhood of Gisandema, witnesses told BBC Great Lakes that a bomb had destroyed a house and killed a domestic worker.
The army offered condolences to bereaved families and sympathy to the wounded, and urged Burundians to be calm and report any unexploded bombs.
The military facility in Musaga is located in a densely populated area. It houses army logistics depots and sits next to another military base and a prison.
The explosions sent plumes of smoke rising above the city, sparking panic in the city of more than a million people.
President Evariste Ndayishimiye, in a message on X, expressed his condolences to all Burundians, adding that the authorities are “here to help”.
One man told the BBC the blasts lasted from around 18:15 local time (16:15 GMT) until midnight and that he and his family had left their home to seek refuge.
“Glass fell on us and I even got wounded under my foot,” he said.
Another man said: “We would like officials to reassure us that it is over so we can reorganise and get back to normal life.”
Residents in Musaga told the Reuters news agency the explosions had killed two people, one of them a young woman.
“She was in front of me. I saw her falling as she was running in a group of people. After a short while I came to know she was violently hit by a bomb,” one witness said.
Source: BBC