By Kemo Cham
Authorities in Guinea on Monday ordered the evacuation of residents around the scene of Sunday’s explosion as defense and security forces battled to put the blaze under control.
The government also ordered the temporary closure of all schools in the vicinity and asked both private and public sector workers to stay home for the day as it struggles to control the blaze in an around the main oil terminal belonging to the national petroleum company.
The incident at the main oil depot in Kaloum, the administrative District of the capital city, occurred at around 12am.
The oil terminal is a property of the Société Guineenne de Petrole.
Several buildings located around the facility had their windows and roofs blown up when the explosion erupted, according residents and other witnesses.
Hundreds of people were reported to have been forced to flee the area.
By the early hours of Monday morning, huge smoke could still be seen distance away from the scene of the incident.
The government said it is focusing all its resources for now in stopping the fire, after which it would mount an investigation to ascertain the cause of the explosion.
The government is yet to provide any official data for casualties.
But local media reports indicate that at least 11 people have died, with over 80 others injured from the blaze.
“The Government expresses its deep concern about this event, the scale and consequences of which could have a direct impact on the population,” the statement reads in part.
It adds: “In these difficult times for our people, we invite the population of the neighbouring areas to move away from the site not only for their own safety but also to allow the services to operate in complete safety.”
Firefighters say their goal is to prevent the flame from spreading beyond the scene of the explosion.
Guinee News, one of the country’s leading online news outlets, quoted an official saying it could take two to three days to fully contain the fire.
