Fire triggers blasts at ammunition depot in Chad’s capital

N'DJAMENA, Chad

A fire triggered a series of explosions at a military ammunition depot in Chad’s capital N’Djamena late Tuesday.

The blasts were heard near N'Djamena International Airport, eyewitnesses told Anadolu.

Chad's Foreign Minister Abderaman Koulamallah announced on his social media account that a fire broke out in the Goudji area of the capital.

Urging citizens to remain calm, he did not provide further information.

"There have been casualties and material damage due to a fire in the ammunition depot at the strategic reserve camp," President Mahamat Idriss Deby Itno said in a statement on his social media account, without elaborating.

Itno extended his condolences to the grieving families of those who lost their lives, wishing a swift recovery to the injured.

He said an investigation has been launched to determine the underlying causes and those responsible for the incident.

*Writing by Zehra Nur Duz