In the aftermath of a tragic explosion and deadly fire at the main fuel depot in Conakry, Guinea, Colonel Mamady Doumbouya, the leader of the military in power, declared a three-day national mourning period on Wednesday. The incident, occurring from Sunday night to Monday, left the capital's downtown area paralyzed.
The mourning is in honor of the 18 lives lost and over individuals injured in the disaster. The explosion had a severe impact on the Kaloum commune, the central hub of business in Conakry, causing significant material damage and halting economic activities.
Despite the announcement of a "minimal" reopening of offices more than two days after the explosion and fire at Guinea's main fuel depot, downtown Conakry remained paralyzed on Wednesday. The aftermath of the incident was evident at Galaxie Communication, a communication and consulting company, where the devastation was palpable.
Mamadou Dian Diallo, the CEO, expressed disbelief, contemplating the potential devastation had the explosion occurred during a regular working day. Nearby, the seven-story building housing the Guinean Advertising Office resembled a gutted skeleton, with blown-out windows.
Employees worked to clean offices littered with shards of glass and pieces of wood. In the Coronthie neighborhood, the epicenter of the explosion, even the central prison of Conakry, with its more than ten-meter-high wall, was not spared from the violence of the blast. Charles Alphonse Wright, the Minister of Justice, reported 33 injuries, including four severe cases, during his visit to the site on Tuesday.
