By Islam Sabulino.
A blast at an arms depot in Democratic Republic of Congo killed 10 people in a nearby town on Friday, a senior government official said.
The explosion happened after lightining struck and sparked a fire at the depot near Mbuji-Mayi, a diamond mine in DRC.
Vicky Kazumba, spokesman for the provincial governor, said shells from the depot detonated and landed in town 6km away.
“In the town I have seen ten dead, and maybe five injured.The damage nearer the depot will be worse.”
There was no news concerning casualties at a military base near the depot and home to many soldiers.
It is believed that the explosion was sparked by lightning.
“When the depot exploded, shells flew in all directions,” said Jean Alexis Kasuasua.
“There are many injured, there are serious injuries, amputees. There are also dead people, but we are still verifying numbers. It seems the depot caught fire after a lightning strike which caused electrical surge.”
DRC is rich in natural resources, including copper, cobalt and gold as well as diamonds, but years of conflict and massive corruption has hindered progress in the country.
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