Blasts in Equatorial Guinea kill at least 20 people

A screenshot showing an explosion in Bata.
(Image credit: Screenshot/YouTube/DW News)

At least 20 people were killed and more than 600 injured on Sunday afternoon after several explosions rocked military barracks in Bata, the largest city in Equatorial Guinea.

President Teodoro Obiang Nguema said the explosions were triggered by "negligent handling of dynamite," and the impact "caused damage in almost all the houses and buildings in Bata." Later, the country's defense ministry released a statement saying a fire broke out in a weapons depot, and that caused ammunition to explode.

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Catherine Garcia, The Week US

Catherine Garcia is night editor for TheWeek.com. Her writing and reporting has appeared in Entertainment Weekly and EW.com, The New York Times, The Book of Jezebel, and other publications. A Southern California native, Catherine is a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.