BRAZZAVILLE, CONGO, Mar 12: Morgue workers hurried to finish washing the bodies of hundreds of people killed in last week’s explosion at a Congo military base ahead of their state funeral today the single largest loss of life in this Central African nation.
At least 246 people were killed one week ago when an arms depot inside a military barracks went up in flames, setting off a lethal downpour of grenades, mortars and shells.
The detonation flattened buildings, including churches, schools, dormitories and businesses, crushing scores of people.
Only 168 of the bodies have been identified so far, according to morgue records.
The government has ordered them to be laid to rest in identical coffins in order to convey the national character of the loss.
Overnight, families camped out in front of the morgue, waiting for the name of their relative to be read on the outdoor speaker.
They held shopping bags with the new clothes they had bought to dress their loves ones—dinner jackets or suits for the men, and wedding dresses for the women and girls, in keeping with local funeral tradition.
When their turn came, they were ushered inside, and allowed to wash and dress the corpse. The coffins were being loaded on trucks for transport to the ceremony ground. (AGENCIES)
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