Congo’s government spokesman, Patrick Muyaya, on Thursday revealed an explosion has killed Lt-Colonel, a Captain, and four others in a bar at a Katindo military camp in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo.
Other victims from the clash are the Lt-Colonel’s wife, the owner of the bistro, and her friend, as well as a 12-year-old teenager are among the dead.
The cause of the incident was not immediately clear. But the minister revealed that appropriate authorities have been deployed to investigate, said Muyaya on Twitter.
A thread of tweets from Congo’s Ministry of Communication (translated on google) reads.
“Explosion at the Katindo military camp. Here are the updates and details: The incident took place in a Bistro located about 100 meters from the regional military hospital in the commune of Karisimbi, Goma. This strong explosion caused enormous human and material damage”
“… There were not 8 deaths as officially announced previously, because the 2 given for dead are rather seriously injured.”
“This provisional report also mentions 15 wounded including 13 lightly interned in the same military hospital and 2 seriously wounded transferred to the general hospital of Ndosho.”
“Pending the expertise of the Scientific Police which is hard at work, it is difficult, at present, to specify the nature and origin of the explosion. The Military Governor of North Kivu calls on the population to calm down and not to fall into speculation.”
The Congolese army is battling multiple rebel groups in its restive east. There was no early indication that the explosion was caused by an attack.