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Residents flee armoury blasts
22/03/2007 19:47 - (SA)
Maputo - A series of explosions at Mozambique's main armoury on Thursday shook buildings in Maputo more than a kilometre from the scene.
The country's television stations transmitted live images of people fleeing from their homes.
Reporters from an independent channel, STv, said windows in most of the buildings at Eduardo Mondlane University in the city centre were broken by the blasts.
Traffic police were prohibiting vehicles from travelling towards the site of the blasts, so many people who live nearby walked to see their families.
Images on TVM, the national broadcaster, showed flames rising into the air.
But there were no immediate reports of any deaths or injuries.
Sources who spoke by telephone after checking on their families said most people had fled their homes to safety.
Third blast at national armoury
It was not immediately known what had caused the blasts, which began a few minutes before 16:00 and continued until 18:30.
From central Maputo, clouds of smoke could be seen coming out of the armoury in Malhazine Bairro, a residential area about a kilometre away.
Office workers in the city climbed onto top floors of buildings to get a view.
This is the third time that the national army armoury, which was built by the Russians, has gone up in smoke.
The first time was September 1985 and 12 people were killed, and the second time was in January, where three people were seriously injured.
At the time authorities attributed the blasts to high temperatures.
On Thursday a maximum temperature of 36°C was recorded in Maputo.
Officials were not immediately available for comment.
- SAPA
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