Military officials in Equatorial Guinea say at least a 20 people have been killed and more than 600 injured in a series of blasts in one of its camps.

The incident occurred Sunday in the country’s largest city – Bata.

President Teodoro Obiang over the weekend in national television broadcast, said the blasts were caused by negligence of a military unit in charge of storing explosives, dynamite and ammunition at the Nkoa Ntoma military camp.

Equatorial guinea’s vice president Obiang Nguema has called for international support, saying that the disaster comes at an already difficult time for the country of 1.4million inhabitants due to the economic crisis caused by the fall in petrol prices, and the COVID-19 pandemic.

Local media footage, showed groups of people pulling bodies from piles of rubble, some of which were carried away wrapped in bedsheets. 

Meanwhile, there has been an appeal through the media for people to donate blood, saying hospitals are overwhelmed.