200 die in Congo weapons depot blasts

More than 200 people were killed when a fire at a weapons depot sparked a series of explosions in the capital of the Republic of Congo today.

More bodies were coming into the morgue this afternoon, which counted 136 bodies. A hospital worker reported 70 more deaths. A local hospital reported at least 237 wounded people.

The blasts flattened many buildings in Brazzaville and sent more than 2,000 fleeing their homes.

Didier Boutsindi of the presidential office said many people were trapped in a church that collapsed.

The explosions shook houses in Brazzaville and echoed across the Congo River to the capital of the neighbouring country.