China Regrets Blasts in Lagos, Nigeria

Home>>China

Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Wednesday, January 30, 2002

China Regrets Blasts in Lagos, Nigeria

Chinese President Jiang Zemin on Tuesday said China regrets the tragic explosions on Sunday in Nigeria's largest city Lagos, which killed over 1,000 people in the city's worst disaster in a decade. Jiang conveyed the regret and sympathy the Chinese government and people feel over the tragedy, and expressed condolences to the bereft families.

DISCUSSION

CHINESE

SEND TO FRIEND

Chinese President Jiang Zemin on Tuesday said China regrets the tragic explosions on Sunday in Nigeria's largest city Lagos, which killed over 1,000 people in the city's worst disaster in a decade.

In a message to Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo, Jiang conveyed the regret and sympathy the Chinese government and people feel over the tragedy, and expressed condolences to the bereft families.

On Sunday, an accidental fire triggered multiple bomb explosions at a Nigerian military armory in the city's Ikeja district. The blasts rocked the country's largest city and sparked a mass stampede.

President Obasanjo declared Tuesday a national day of mourning to mark the tragedy.

Death toll rises to over 1,100 in Lagos explosions

Death toll has rose to over 1,100 in a series of bomb explosions as a result of a fire incident at an ammunition depot of the Ikeja military barracks in Lagos, the News Agency of Nigeria reported on Monday.

More than 500 recovered bodies were on display at Oke-Afa and 600 others were displayed for identification at Ajao estate, the report said.

The two places are near the Ikeja military cantonment.

Many of the dead are children and babies who drowned in Oke Afa canal and nearby Ejigbo canal as thousands of terrified residents fled the scene of the blasts.

Some rescue workers said hundreds of bodies are still trapped in Ejigbo canal and they need the help of naval men to accelerate recovery of the bodies.

According to the witnesses, the incident occurred around 6:00 p. m. (1700GMT) on Sunday and more than 25 deafening explosions shook buildings and shattered windows around the Ikeja area, the location of the large army barracks.

Meanwhile, Ikeja Military Cantonment, rocked by explosion from a fire at its ammunition depot on Sunday, has become a "refugee camp" as displaced persons returned to their destroyed homes.

The police, army and security agencies were seen to try their utmost to ensure that displaced people reunite with their families as soon as possible.

In Detail

Questions?Comments? Click here

Death Toll Rises to Over 1,100 in Lagos Explosions