Several explosions at a military base in Equatorial Guinea have resulted in at least 31 people dead and more than 400 injured. The explosions, which took place in the country’s main city of Bata, were caused by, according to the BBC, “stubble burning by farmers and negligence in the storage of dynamite at the base.”

The President of Equatorial Guinea, Teodoro Obiang Nguema, said that almost all the buildings andhomes in Bata have been extensively damaged. He has called for international aid.

While the search for survivors buried under the rubble continues, the death toll was expected to rise.

The health ministry tweeted that 420 people were being treated in the city’s hospitals for injuries. It has called upon health workers to volunteer to assist at Bata Regional Hospital.  It’s also made an urgent call for blood donations. The BBC reports that hospitals have been overwhelmed by the sheer volume of patients admitted, and that the wounded people could be seen in television footage lying on the floor at one crowded hospital.

Meanwhile, Equatorial Guinea’s only opposition party, the CPDS, said that the incident was greatest humanitarian catastrophe to have ever struck the country.

Umm Muhammed Umar