These before and after aerial shots show the devastation left behind from the massive military complex blast in Equatorial Guinea

Azmi HarounMar 13, 2021, 08:51 IST

A massive blast rocked a military complex in Bata, Equatorial Guinea, on March 9, 2021.
At least 105 are dead and over 600 are wounded, according to the local government.
These before and after aerial shots show the sheer magnitude of the destruction.

A seismic blast rocked a military complex in Bata, Equatorial Guinea on March 9, leaving at least 105 dead and over 600 wounded, according to CNN.

The local government is blaming farmers for starting fires, as well as a military unit that was guarding the dynamite stocks which were ignited and led to the massive explosion. As firefighters and medics searched through the rubble for survivors of the hours-long blasts, the government declared the radius of the blast site a catastrophe zone and announced three days of national mourning starting on Wednesday.

State television broadcasters appealed for information about missing individuals near the blast, and the death toll is expected to climb as the event is investigated, according to CNN.

Aerial before and after shots show the magnitude of destruction left behind by the explosions.

BEFORE: Here is a view of the military complex in Bata from 2020.

The Bata military complex, which contained the munitions depot at the center of the blast, is pictured here on August 2020. Houses and military barracks surround the complex.

AFTER: The impact of the March 9 explosions at the military complex is clearly visible.

BEFORE: A closer view of the complex before the explosion.

This zoomed-in before shot shows the military complex at the center of the blast on August 7, 2020.

AFTER: Buildings can be seen reduced to rubble.

This aerial shot, pictured after the blast on March 9, 2021, shows leveled buildings and smoke plumes from explosions that lasted hours after a munitions depot caught fire.

BEFORE: Military barracks and buildings pictured in 2020.

Pictured here on August 7, 2020, these barracks were completely destroyed in the Bata blast.

AFTER: Military barracks and buildings after the blast in 2021.

This same set of barracks, pictured on March 9, 2021, the day of the blast. The government is still searching for hundreds of missing individuals.

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