Brazzaville arms dump blasts On 4 March 2012 , a series of blasts occurred at an army arms dump in Brazzaville , the capital of the Republic of the Congo . At least 250 people were killed by the explosions . Additional bodies were said to be " unfindable . " Among the dead were six Chinese workers from a Beijing Construction Engineering Group work site close to the armoury . Interior Minister Raymond Mboulou said that nearby hospitals were overflowing with injuries , with many wounded lying in hallways due to lack of space . Total injures exceeded 2 , 300 . More than 13 , 800 people were left homeless . One survivor described the event as feeling like " the apocalypse ; " others described it as " like a tsunami " or earthquake . Explosions . Brazzaville . Explosions at the arms dump started around 8 a . m . local time ( 07 : 00 UTC ) in the densely populated arrondissement of Ouenzé , in the north of Brazzaville . The arms dump is situated in Mpila , a neighborhood astride the arrondissements of Ouenzé and Talangaï . The blasts continued for several hours with five significant blasts and many smaller ones occurring . The last notable explosion happened around 1 p . m . local time . Defence Minister Charles Zacharie Bowao went on national television to urge calm . " The explosions that you have heard don ' t mean there is a war or a coup d ' état . . . It [ was ] an incident caused by a fire at the munitions depot , " he said . Many people were trapped in collapsed buildings . Among the destroyed buildings was the St . Louis Catholic church and a smaller evangelical church , both of which were holding services at the time of the blasts . Buildings within a half - kilometer of the military camp were completely flattened by the explosions . The president of the country , Denis Sassou - Nguesso , has a residence near the depot , but he was not there when the series of explosions started . Kinshasa . The force of the blasts was felt for several miles and affected residents of Kinshasa , across the Congo River in the Democratic Republic of the Congo . Widespread panic ensued in both Brazzaville and Kinshasa , as many people thought armed conflict had started . The government of the Democratic Republic sent military personnel to the banks of the Congo River until it became clear that war had not broken out . In Kinshasa , roofs were damaged and windows broken . The glass of some buildings on the Boulevard du 30 Juin in La Gombe was broken . According to journalists , five strong explosions could be heard in Kinshasa . Aftermath . In the aftermath of the blasts , the streets of Brazzaville were covered with metal and other debris . Fires spread through the city , burning homes and businesses . The area of the blasts was sealed off by police forces . By the evening , the main fire was out but isolated homes were still on fire . A curfew was put in effect . Many children were found wandering the streets and put in temporary government care until their parents or next of kin could be located . Congolese television tried to reunite the children with their parents . The authorities opened two churches and a covered market for the homeless as shelters . Rescue operations near the depot were more difficult because of continuing smaller explosions . Fires continued to ravage Brazzaville on 5 March , threatening to ignite a second arms depot with more substantial munitions . Small blasts continued throughout the day . On 5 March , bodies were still being retrieved from the cordoned zone , and the smell of decaying bodies began to emerge just outside the cordoned zone . However , in the city center and southern neighborhoods of Brazzaville life returned to normal . Within 24 hours , American and French officials met with Republic of the Congo officials to discuss aid efforts . French and Russian firefighters joined in efforts to extinguish the fires and France immediately sent a shipment of aid . The Democratic Republic of the Congo sent medical kits and a delegation to the Republic of the Congo . The World Health Organization sent 2 . 5 metric tons of medicine . The Red Cross set up refugee camps , serving 3000 people U . N . Secretary - General Ban Ki - moon expressed his condolences to the families of the bereaved and to the Government and people of Congo . Other offers of help and words of condolence came in from around the world . The United Nations Mine Action Service ( UNMAS ) led an emergency response and established the United Nations Mine Action Team ( UNMAT ) in full cooperation with the United Nations Humanitarian Coordinator and other actors on the ground including the Congolese Armed Forces . As of 7 March , there was still no effective rescue effort . The Red Cross was barred from entering the blast zone because of risk of further explosions , and soldiers allowed in were concentrating on extinguishing the still burning flames . After inspection , unexploded munitions were found spread over a huge area around the depot . As a result of the accident , the government decided to move all military camps out of the capital , a promise which had also been made after an explosion in 2009 . There are at least five barracks and munitions depots situated in Brazzaville . On 8 March , The Republic of Congo announced it would pay 3 million CFA francs ( US $ 6 , 051 ) to the family of each victim . UN experts , foreign armies , and NGOs helped clean up the blast site . As of early April , it was reported that 16 tons of munitions had been collected and destroyed . On September 10 , 2013 , six soldiers were sentenced to 15 years in jail for causing the short circuit which let to the fire . Twenty six others were acquitted of the disaster . The former deputy secretary general was sentenced to five years of hard labour for the disaster by the national security council . Cause . According to state officials , the blasts originated at the arms depot in the Regiment Blinde and were caused by a fire . The fire , which was caused by a short circuit , ignited a store of tank shells . The location of the military camps was cited as a factor contributing to the death toll . There are at least five barracks or arms depots in Brazzaville , and after the explosion the government promised to move the depots outside the city . The same promise had been made three years ago after another explosion , but the depots were not moved at that time . Cholera outbreak . In early April , a cholera outbreak was reported . The poor hygienic and sanitary conditions in the sites for the displaced people and the ongoing rains helped spread the disease . The covered market in Nkombo in northern Brazzaville and the Sacred Heart Cathedral in downtown were the worst hit sites . Together the two places provided refuge for 11000 of the 14000 displaced people due to the explosions .