Massive Blasts Hit Chad Capital as Fire Engulfs Military Arms Depot |
A fire at a military ammunition depot in Chad’s capital, N’Djamena, triggered a series of explosions on Tuesday night, according to Foreign Affairs Minister Koulamallah Abderaman. Witnesses reported at least one person was killed and several others were wounded.
Residents near the depot described seeing injured people on the streets, with two being rushed to the hospital on motorbikes. Media outlets shared images of spent artillery shells that had fallen into people’s homes. One resident mentioned that his neighbor, a shopkeeper, was killed by a shell.“Loud blasts woke us up,” resident Moustapha Adoum Mahamat told Reuters via telephone. “Our house was shaking as if someone were shooting at us. Then we saw a big fire at the military camp and smoke and things exploding in the air. We could see artillery fly over us.”A Reuters witness reported flames and explosions lasting for about an hour, with smoke spreading throughout the city. The fire broke out just a few kilometers from Chad’s main international airport, which authorities confirmed was not affected.