YAOUNDE, March 7 (Xinhua) -- Explosions in the Equatorial Guinean city of Bata on Sunday were caused by accident, and the latest casualty count showed at least 20 people were killed and 600 others injured, according to the country's authorities.

Sunday afternoon, at the Nkoatama military camp in Bata, explosives warehouses caught fire following the fire at nearby farms, causing successive explosions, according to a statement from the presidency of Equatorial Guinea.

According to the country's defense ministry, the provisional toll included 20 deaths and 600 injuries, while many buildings were destroyed.

Search and rescue operations are going on. Health authorities have called on people to donate blood and encouraged volunteer health workers to help.

Located on the mainland part of Equatorial Guinea, Bata is the most populous city in the country.