Four people killed in an explosion at an old warehouse in central Mozambique

Four people were killed when an explosive device exploded Sunday evening at an old warehouse in Sofala, central Mozambique, the Police of the Republic of Mozambique (PRM) said on Monday.

“These are artifacts that are located in areas of the old warehouse, and that is why we have limited access to this region. On the spot we had information about four dead and five wounded,” added Marilto Peralto, spokesman for the PRM provincial command in Sofala. that there were young people who were looking for wool to sell.

According to local authorities, who were the first to report the death of three people, the incident occurred in the Ndunda district of Beira, Sofala province.

The device exploded when young people aged 16 to 19 tried to break it.

Beira Central Hospital confirmed the arrival of five injured people, saying they were all in stable condition and one was discharged from hospital on Sunday after suffering minor bruises in the incident.

“At the moment we have four patients: one has undergone surgery and is in intensive care, and the rest are in the infirmary,” and all of them are responding “very well” so far, said the clinical director of the Central Hospital of Santa Catarina. journalists Beira, Ana Tambo.

The lost explosive devices, which were supposed to be cleared, are a legacy of the conflict in Mozambique.

The country declared itself free of landmines in 2015, after more than two decades of a mine clearance program across the country, which at the time was one of the top five most endangered mines in the world, but there have been several accidents.

One of the most serious cases occurred in September 2020, when seven people were killed in an explosion in Pebane, Zambezia province.