Health Minister: Nine dead in explosions at Chadian ammunition depot

Health Minister: Nine dead in explosions at Chadian ammunition depot

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N’DJAMENA (Reuters) – Explosions at a military ammunition depot in the Chadian capital killed at least nine people and injured more than 46 on Tuesday evening, Health Minister Abdelmadjid Abderahim said.

The death toll could rise as many people suffered serious injuries, Abderahim told reporters on Wednesday.

The explosions lit up the night sky above the military base near the central African country’s main international airport and sent the shells flying into surrounding homes, where frightened residents desperately tried to find shelter.

On Wednesday morning, President Mahamat Idriss Deby visited the site, where the ground around a crater was littered with wrecked cars and twisted metal.

(Reporting by Mahamat Ramadane; Writing by Bate Felix; Editing by Andrew Heavens)