The Guinea Bissau government has warned its citizens to prepare themselves for power cuts.
This as the country is battling with the aftermath of a fatal explosion at an oil terminal in the capital city, Conakry, that damaged fuel tanks and forced hundreds to flee destroyed homes.
Fourteen people were murdered and 190 wounded in the blast at the West African nation’s main oil terminal, which shook the Kaloum district in downtown Conakry in the early hours of Monday.
13 fuel storage tanks had been out of service, while five tanks were unaffected, according to a government report.
Majority of Guinea’s power plants, especially those providing the capital, operate on diesel fuel.
The extent of the fallout from the explosion is yet to be clear and it is unknown if mining operations will be affected in the country.
Guinea is not an oil manufacturer, hence, it relies on imports of refined products, which are mainly stored in the Kaloum terminal and conveyed via trucks across the country.
Fear of additional blasts and the heightened risk of remaining in destroyed buildings have driven hundreds of people to look for safety elsewhere in the city for the mean time.
