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Brazzaville picks up the pieces after ammo depot explosion

Wed, 04 Apr 2012 16:57:35 GMT

Wednesday, April 4, 2012

Many women and children have been living in the grounds of the Sacred Heart Cathedral since munitions in a Brazzaville army barracks exploded on March 4, 2012.
Image: Laudes Martial Mbon/IRIN.

The Brazzaville Arms Depot was located in Mpila.
Image: NASA.

The average number of deaths per incident of an explosion is 3, according to a six-month study conducted by Landmine Action and Medact in 2009.
Image: Crtew.

Brazzaville munitions depot explosion as of March 14, 2012. The map shows the extent of the exclusion zone, the redzone checkpoint and 1km radius from ground zero.
Image: MapAction.

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Christian Sedar Ndinga, president of the Congolese Red Cross, talks about the role played by local and trained volunteers in responding to the March 4 blast in Brazzaville.
Video: International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies.

Extensive damage was caused to residential areas of Brazzaville when munitions at an army barracks blew up on March 4, 2012.
Image: Laudes Martial Mbon/IRIN.

World relief organizations are assisting the Republic of the Congo after last month's deadly explosions at the Brazzaville Arms Depot that claimed around 300 lives, according to the International Committee of the Red Cross, and left parts of the city looking like a war zone.

One month after the March 4 explosions and the relief efforts continue.

Bernard Metraux, who is in charge of the ICRC mission in Brazzaville, said 292 people have died and around 12 bodies were still unidentified as of Monday. On Saturday, Pierre Moussa, Minister of Defense for the Republic of Congo, released a slightly lower death toll of 282. There was no explanation for discrepancies between the government's and the relief organization's figures as the ICRC's previous statement was already higher than Moussa's figure. Moussa said the death count, however, is expected to rise higher as the relief operations continue.

Metraux also reported 75 children were still missing. The international organization has had success reuniting 42 children with their families in the aftermath and locating 23 missing children since.

Also, the World Health Organization has confirmed around 10 cases of cholera, which was supported by Alexis Elira Dokekias, the nation's director general of health.

Already in the first month of the operation, the munitions clearing teams have disposed of 16 tons of ordinance.

The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies expects the relief operation to last three more months.

The Brazzaville blast [edit]

To put the Brazzaville blast into perspective, the number of people killed by the depot explosion this month is almost 100 times the average number of people killed in explosive incidents, based on figures presented by Landmine Action and Medact of explosions and deaths from around the world. The average death per explosive incident was reported by Landmine Action to be 3.3 people (see infographic).

The blast on March 4, 2012, was actually three separate explosions that were caused by an electrical short circuit at the depot. The blast injured 2,500, made 14,000 homeless, and disrupted education for 20,000 students. The explosion collapsed whole buildings nearby, including a church; contaminated the area within 1 km; and destroyed windows as far away as 4 km. The force of the explosion could be felt in neighboring Kinshasa. And, most dangerous for people now, the blast spread live munitions over a perimeter that spans 6 km. The Talangaï Hospital, one of Brazzaville's medical centers, was the most critical site affected. A portion of the hospital was destroyed and unexploded ordinances were spread over the premises.

Brazzaville is the capital of the Republic of the Congo. According to the US State Department, 70 percent of the country's population lives in Brazzaville. It is the largest city there with a population of over 1.2 million, according to the CIA World Factbook. Nearly one third of the population there lives near the affected sections of the city, including Talangaï, Ouenzé, Moungali and Mfilou which were close to the depot located in the Mpila district.

The storage of arms in city centers is more common in Africa. In an interview with Wikinews, Dr. Kelechi Kalu, who is the director of the Center for African Studies at Ohio State University, said the orgins of the practice go back to the Cold War when the United States and the Soviet Union would arm opposite sides and would locate the arms so that the forces they supported could have access to them. After the Cold War, however, the practice was continued by governing institutions. "The institutional structure that is supposed to handle explosives such as this and dispose of them in order to keep people safe are not as developed as people would expect." Kalu referred to another armory explosion in January 27, 2002, in Lagos, Nigeria that killed over 1000 people.

The 2009 report from Landmine Action said casualities as a result of explosives happens regularly around the world and the number of incidents spreads globally within a fairly short period of time — six months of data were studied. The report said the worst cases with high death rates occurred when explosive violence took place in urban settings, like the blast from the arms depot located in the highly populated area of Brazzaville.

Moreover, the Landmine Action study reported that civilians, especially women and children, fared worse from these blasts. Congolese citizen Irène Ithos, 44, and a mother of three, told IRIN News that the blast was unprecedented in her lifetime. It is one of the Republic of the Congo's worst catastrophes since its civil war was fought between 1997 and 1999. The depot itself was a holdover from the civil war era.

The relief operation [edit]

	The main thing now is to clear those areas as quickly as possible ...
—Bernard Metraux

Dealing with the unexploded munitions is urgent. "The main thing now is to clear those areas as quickly as possible so that the people who live or work there and want to go back can do so without danger," said Metraux.

The Congolese army has fenced off the 1km area around the depot so that the site can be decontaminated. The United Nations Mine Action Coordination Centre is trying to dispose of the live munitions so that the Brazzaville residents can leave the camps and return to their homes. The organizations involved in ordinance disposal also include the British Mines Advisory Group, a contingent from Handicap International, and the ICRC. With so much ordinance underneath the ruins, the Congolese Red Cross is playing an important role in warning residents to call for assistance if they see ammunition.

Early on the Congolese Red Cross, as the area's first responders, provided first aid, transported crush victims from the fallen buildings and burn victims to the military and university hospitals, and provided blankets and water, said Christian Sedar Ndinga, president the country's organization. The Congolese Red Cross mobilized 200 volunteers in response to the crisis.

While the relief agencies working with the Congolese have alleviated some needs, the effort still has holes to fill. Six sites have been established to relieve the homeless, but the camps do not have enough tents. One of those sites is the Sacred Heart Cathedral and it has 20 tents that were set up by the French army, but those are not enough, and during rains, even when the church is opened, not all people can be sheltered. The Nkombo Market is the other large relief site; it is a covered market converted into a shelter. The sites, however, have allowed Doctors Without Borders to vaccinate 2,500 children from measles and the medical staff there has reported some malnutrition cases.

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Sources [edit]

This article features first-hand journalism by Wikinews members. See the collaboration page for more details.

"CONGO: Cholera hits munitions blast displaced" — IRIN, April 2, 2012
Associated Press. "75 children still missing nearly a month after Rep. of Congo arms depot blasts, Red Cross says" — Washington Post, April 2, 2012
Associated Press. "Rep. of Congo blasts death toll rises to 282" — Newsday, March 31, 2012
George Fominyen. "Red Cross warns of unexploded devices after Congo blast" — AlterNet (Reuters), March 23, 2012
"CONGO: Thousands still homeless after munitions blast" — IRIN, March 23, 2012
(News release). "Republic of the Congo: clearing the stricken area and reuniting families" — ICRC, March 22, 2012
Lauren Tracey. "Congo-Brazzaville: A Blast From the Past - Mpila Military Munitions Depot Explosion" — allAfrica.com, March 22, 2012
US Central Intelligence Agency. "Section:People and Society" — The World Factbook, page last updated on March 19, 2012
(News release). "Handicap International sends an emergency team to Brazzaville (Republic of Congo) to protect the civilian population" — Handicap International, March 12, 2012
(News release). "Distaster Relief Emergency Fund (DREF), Republic of Congo: Explosion in Brazzaville" — IFRC, March 7, 2012
(News release). "Congo: Red Cross into action following Brazzaville explosions" — IFRC Newsroom (Video), March 6, 2012
Christian Tsoumou and Jonny Hogg. "Blast at Congo Republic's Brazzaville arms depot kills hundreds" — Reuters, March 4, 2012
US State Department. "Section:People" — Background Note: Republic of the Congo, January 3, 2012 (Accessed March 26, 2012)
Richard Moyes. "Explosive Violence: The Problem of Explosive Weapons" — Landmine Action, 2009 (Accessed March 26, 2012)

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60 reported dead in Congo train crash

Wed, 23 Jun 2010 02:41:19 GMT

Wednesday, June 23, 2010

Republic of the Congo

Other stories from Republic of the Congo

4 April 2012: Brazzaville picks up the pieces after ammo depot explosion
23 June 2010: 60 reported dead in Congo train crash
21 June 2010: Wreckage of crashed plane in Africa found
11 November 2009: Thousands flee violence in northern Democratic Republic of the Congo
4 March 2009: Scientists say study proves chimps create termite gathering tools

...More articles here

Location of Republic of the Congo

To write, edit, start or view other articles on Republic of the Congo, see the Republic of the Congo Portal

60 people are reported to have died, with several hundred more injured, after a train in Congo derailed.

The incident happened Monday night, according to the railroad company, Chemin de Fer Congo-Ocean. The incident is believed to have occurred as the train rounded a curve in a remote part of the Congo, around 37 miles (60 km) from Pointe-Noire. Four railcars are reported to have fallen into a ravine.

The city of Pointe-Noire (station pictured) is on the Congolese coast
Image: Unsonique (Wikimedia Commons).

A spokesperson for the government, Bienvenue Okiemy, said that "excess speed" had been the cause of the derailment.

Officials said 60 bodies have been recovered, and a further 450 people are being treated for injuries at a hospital in Pointe-Noire. Okiemy commented that the death toll could still rise, "because searches and operations to lift wagons which fell into a ravine are still ongoing."

A railroad official said that "[t]he material damage was also very severe", adding that "[a]ll steps have been taken to organise relief."

The incident is the third major train crash on the line in two decades. In 1991, a passenger train collided with a freighter, killing around 100 people, and in 2001, another collision killed around 50 people.

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Sources [edit]

"Train crash in southern Congo 'kills 60'" — BBC News Online, June 22, 2010
"Sixty killed in Congo Republic train crash" — Reuters, June 22, 2010

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Wreckage of crashed plane in Africa found

Mon, 21 Jun 2010 20:14:18 GMT

Monday, June 21, 2010

Disasters and accidents

More articles about disasters and accidents on Wikinews:

The wreckage of an aircraft carrying eleven mining executives from Australia has been found in Cameroon, according to the country's information minister.

According to the official, Issa Tchiroma Bakary, either nine or ten bodies have been recovered from the aircraft, which was reported missing on Saturday and apparently crashed in the Congo. Bakary said that "[t]he wreckage has been found in Congo. Unfortunately there were no survivors."

The plane, a Casa C212, was traveling from Cameroon to Congo, where Sundance Resources, an Australian mining company whose entire board of directors was on the plane, is trying to develop an iron ore mine. Contact with the plane was lost around an hour after it took off.

In addition to six Australians, including one of the country's richest men, Ken Talbot, there were two British, two French, and one US citizen on board the plane. The search for the downed plane had involved Cameroon, Australia, the United States, and Canada, and had included four aircraft, although operations had been disrupted by fog.

Sundance said that they had halted all African operations in the wake of the crash, which led to the cessation of trading the company's shares and the appointment of an acting CEO, the firm's Chief Financial Officer Peter Canterbury. Another Sundance official said that although significant, the crash would not "mortally wound" the company.

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Sources [edit]

"Mining executives Africa plane wreckage found" — BBC News Online, June 21, 2010
"Sundance plane found in Congo with no survivors onboard" — News.com.au, June 21, 2010

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Thousands flee violence in northern Democratic Republic of the Congo

Wed, 11 Nov 2009 03:06:44 GMT

Sunday, November 8, 2009

Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC)

Sources [edit]

This article includes material from Thousands Flee Ethnic Violence in Northern DRC by VOA News, which is in the public domain.

Lisa Schlein. "Thousands Flee Ethnic Violence in Northern DRC" — VOA News, November 6, 2009
"DRC: Deadly clashes in Equateur Province forces civilians into exile" — UNHCR, November 6, 2009

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Scientists say study proves chimps create termite gathering tools

Wed, 04 Mar 2009 04:23:13 GMT

Wednesday, March 4, 2009

Map highlighting location of the Congo in Africa.
Image: Vardion.

Researchers say that a study of chimpanzees in the Republic of the Congo in Africa, show that they specifically create and design tools to catch termites living underground. The study was performed in the Nouabale-Ndoki National Park in the Congo in an area known as the Goualougo Triangle. The study was published in the Royal Society journal Biology Letters.

Dr. Crickette Sanz, the leader of the team who filmed the chimps crafting "fishing rod" type tools, says that they have "invented" ways of "improving their termite-fishing technique" by using a stick from a plant called the Marantaceae. They pick off the leaves and then create and place a brush like object on the end. Doing so improved the number of termites they catch, by more than 10 times.

"They then pulled the herb stems through their teeth, which were partially closed, to make the brush and they also attended to the brush by sometimes pulling apart the fibres to make them better at gathering the termites," stated Sanz to the BBC.

Researchers are aware that chimps have used similar methods in the past, but it was not fully known if the tools they used were designed specifically for the task of gathering the insects. Of all the tools the chimps left behind and recovered by Sanz's team, 80% were custom made by their owners. Sanz says the new study has determined that their methods have since evolved, proving previous hypotheses.

"Our results indicate that chimpanzees have a mental template of the tool form, which is employed in crafting the tool prior to use and refining it during use," Sanz said.

Sanz also says that because of Africa's vastness, much of it is still unstudied leaving him to suggest other species of chimps and apes use complex tools to gather food.

"Just as we are learning about these exciting new complex tool behaviours, the chimps that are showing us these behaviours are under danger from logging, poaching and Ebola," added Sanz. The triangle is a host to a variety of endangered or threatened animals including gorillas and elephants.

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Sources [edit]

Learn more about the Goualougo Triangle on Wikipedia.

Rebecca Morelle. "Chimps craft ultimate fishing rod" — BBC News, March 4, 2009
"Upping the ant-e: Clever chimps boost termite catch" — Agence France-Presse, March 4, 2009

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UN aid plane crash kills 17 in Democratic Republic of the Congo

Fri, 05 Sep 2008 06:24:05 GMT

Wednesday, September 3, 2008

Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC)

Sources [edit]

AFP. "UN confirms 17 killed in crash of DRCongo aid plane" — MONUC, September 3, 2008
IRIN. "Congo-Kinshasa: 15 Aid Workers, Two Crew Killed in Plane Crash Near Bukavu" — AllAfrica, September 2, 2008
"Aid plane crashes into mountain in DRCongo: UN" — Agence France-Presse, September 2, 2008
Press Release: "Recovery Mission Underway - 020908 DRC" — Air Serv International, September 2, 2008

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Wikinews Shorts: August 5, 2008

Tue, 05 Aug 2008 18:35:10 GMT

A compilation of brief news reports for Tuesday, August 5, 2008 .

1 Known gorilla population more than doubled
2 NBA: Paul Pierce handcuffed in Las Vegas
3 Woman throws lasagna at husband
4 Police rescue two swimmers in Lake Michigan
5 World's smallest snake discovered in Barbados

Contribute to Wikinews by expanding these briefs or add a new one.

Known gorilla population more than doubled [edit]

125,000 western lowland gorillas have been found in isolated forests of the Republic of Congo, according to a census by the Wildlife Conservation Society. The number more than doubles the present estimated population of 50-100 thousand. The population resides in two areas covering just 18,000 square miles, living in densities previously thought to be not possible.

President of the Wildlife Conservation Society, Steve Sanderson, says that this does not mean the gorillas are out of danger and they are still vulnerable to Ebola and humans, who target them for bush meat.

Sources

John Nielsen. "'Mother Lode' Of Gorillas Found In Congo Forests" — NPR, August 5, 2008
Ben McConville. "Report: 125,000 gorillas found in African zone" — Associated Press, August 5, 2008

NBA: Paul Pierce handcuffed in Las Vegas [edit]

Boston Celtics player Paul Pierce, the MVP of the 2008 NBA Finals, was handcuffed by police in Las Vegas, Nevada about 3:00 a.m. Sunday during a traffic stop. A spokesman for the Las Vegas Police Department said that was initially hostile, though didn't say that this was the cause for the handcuffs. Multiple news agencies that report that Pierce passed both a sobriety test and a Breathalyzer. Neither Pierce nor the Celtics have released a comment.

Sources

"NBA player Pierce handcuffed by Las Vegas police" — Agence France-Presse, August 4, 2008
"Celtics' Pierce cuffed, let go after traffic stop" — Associated Press, August 4, 2008
"Pierce, Celtics mum on incident" — Boston Globe, August 5, 2008

Woman throws lasagna at husband [edit]

A woman threw a frozen lasagna at her husband. This happened in Atlantic Beach, Florida. The woman has been charged with domestic battery after throwing frozen lasagna at her husband. The two were arguing when she picked up the frozen lasagna and tossed it at her husband striking him. The husband said his wife struck him across the face many times before throwing the frozen lasagna at him hitting him in the head. The woman admitted to officers that she had thrown the frozen lasagna at her husband to hit him in the head. The husband was arrested for a violation of a court injunction.

Sources

"Police: Woman hit hubby with lasagna" — United Press International, August 4, 2008
"Police: Woman Attacked Husband With Frozen Lasagna" — WJXT, August 1, 2008

Police rescue two swimmers in Lake Michigan [edit]

Two people have been saved from Lake Michigan said Evanston Police in Illinois. Four officers saved the two people from the lake. This happened late Sunday. One officer had swallowed too much water and has been treated at a local hospital police had said on Monday. At Lee Street Beach at 11:57 p.m. close to midnight. Police could hear people yelling for help around the metal breakwater police had said. Police could not see the swimmers due to how dark it was outside. As police went into the water with rescue disks to try and save the people from the water. Officers then found a man that was 50 yards off shore that had been taken into the breakwater by the large waves said police. Police then threw a rescue disk towards his direction and the man grabbed on and was pulled safely to shore, also another women was rescued.

Sources

Wire Reports. "Two swimmers rescued from lake by Evanston police officers" — Chicago Sun-Times, August 4,2008
Brian Cox. "Rescued swimmers tell of night at the beach gone bad" — Chicago Tribune, August 4, 2008

World's smallest snake discovered in Barbados [edit]

Wikipedia has more about this subject:

Leptotyphlops carlae

The world's smallest snake, the Leptotyphlops carlae, has been discovered in Barbados by Dr Blair Hedges, an evolutionary scientist from Pennsylvania State University. The Leptotyphlops carlae is the smallest of the 3100 known species of snakes. The species is thinner than a piece of spaghetti and is about 10cm long, small enough to curl up on a United States quarter.

Sources

"World's smallest snake discovered" — BBC News Online, August 3, 2008
"World's smallest snake found in Barbados" — Genetic Engineering & Biotechnology News, August 3, 2008

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English Wikinews RSS feed.

Brazzaville picks up the pieces after ammo depot explosion

The Brazzaville blast [edit]

The relief operation [edit]

Sources [edit]

60 reported dead in Congo train crash

Sources [edit]

Wreckage of crashed plane in Africa found

Sources [edit]

Thousands flee violence in northern Democratic Republic of the Congo

Sources [edit]

Scientists say study proves chimps create termite gathering tools

Sources [edit]

UN aid plane crash kills 17 in Democratic Republic of the Congo

Sources [edit]

Wikinews Shorts: August 5, 2008

Contents

Known gorilla population more than doubled [edit]

NBA: Paul Pierce handcuffed in Las Vegas [edit]

Woman throws lasagna at husband [edit]

Police rescue two swimmers in Lake Michigan [edit]

World's smallest snake discovered in Barbados [edit]