Waliokumbwa na maafa ya mabomu yaliyolipuka Gongo la Mboto; wakiwa wamehifadhaiwa uwanja wa taifa, Dar es Salaam

Explosions at military base kill 20 in Tanzania

Shock waves could be felt in neighborhoods more than six miles away 
from the airport in Dar es Salaam on Wednesday night

(CNN) Thursday 16.02.2011-- A series of explosions at a military base in Tanzania killed 20 people and displaced 4,000 residents, Prime Minister Mizengo Pinda said Thursday.

In a statement delivered as he adjourned the parliament, Pinda said the blasts occurred Wednesday night at an ammunition bunker at the Gongola Mboto army base in Tanzania's commercial capital, Dar es Salaam. It destroyed 23 munitions depots as well as a nearby school and two houses, and forced 4,000 people to seek shelter at the national stadium.

"The death toll might rise when we ascertain the full extent of the damage caused by the explosions," Pinda said.

Earlier, another official said at least 184 people were injured in the explosions that lit up the night sky in Dar es Salaam and spread debris throughout surrounding areas

Nyancheghe Nanai, assistant director of disaster management, was unable to say what caused the explosions but added that she "does not think" they were related to terrorism.

Two years ago, explosions at another arms depot in Dar es Salaam left 29 dead from rocket and artillery discharges, Nanai said. Those blasts were not caused by terrorism, she said.

The explosions in the densely populated city rattled neighborhoods and forced the closure of the main international airport, which is near the army base.