Displaying items by tag: Bata

Recently three huge blasts and a series of smaller explosions from a military base damaged or destroyed almost all homes and buildings in Bata, a city of over 250,000 people. The first explosion was so big that people were shouting ‘This is a bomb, this is a bomb!’ UN satellite images suggest at least 243 structures were completely destroyed and nearby buildings severely damaged, with scorched vegetation. Pray for the residents of Bata trying to come to grips with the full scale of a disaster that killed at least 105 people and injured over 600. 482 people have been discharged from hospitals but many remain untreated. Hospitals are overwhelmed. Pray for aid to be released to the homeless who once lived in the destroyed blocks of housing. The devastation was caused by poorly-managed stores of explosives. But no matter the cause, the road to recovery will be long and daunting.