Guinea: At least 14 killed in fuel explosion in Conakry

At least 14 people have lost their lives in the explosion of a fuel depot in capital Conakry in the early hours of Monday December 18, the Government of the West African country announced in a statement later in the day.

The largest warehouse for storing fuel, located in the capital and belonging to State-run Société Guinéenne de Pétrole, exploded early Monday.

The incident, the Health ministry said in a first death report, left 13 people dead. But the government later in the day upped the death toll to 14. The government also indicated that 190 people were injured in the blast. 113 however returned to their homes while remaining people remained in hospitals for treatment.

The incident will affect fuel distribution across the country and will cause load shedding. The Mamadi Doumbouya administration also announced the launch of a probe into the incident to establish what caused the tragedy, the statement added.