Guinea explosion: Huge oil depot fire leaves 18 dead and over 200 injured in Conakry as shocking footage reveals how towering fireball damaged buildings almost a mile away

•  The explosion in Conakry on Monday killed 18 people and injured 212 others

The main oil depot in Guinea has exploded, leaving 18 dead and hundreds injured – with a fireball from the blast damaging buildings almost a mile away.

Foreign rescue and aid workers, along with the UN and volunteers, worked tirelessly to help victims of the explosion at the state oil company’s main depot in the Kaloum district of the capital, Conakry, near the port.

The incident on Monday morning at the Guinean Petroleum Company depot killed 18 people, injured 212 others and prompted concerns about fuel supplies.

The explosion, whose cause is still unknown, wreaked damage to buildings over a radius of more than one kilometre (0.6 miles).

Windows were shattered in several buildings in the port area, including a modern district which is home to banks and insurance companies.

The fire was brought under control later that afternoon but smoke was still rising from the site the next day and soldiers were preventing traffic from entering.

A legal investigation has been opened to establish the cause and responsibilities of the incident.

Fire burns after a blast at an oil terminal in Conakry, Guinea, on December 18

Firemen work to extinguish the flames after a blast at Guinea’s main oil terminal

Flames were seen rising from Conarky’s main fuel depot on Monday after the explosion

Firemen remained to monitor the fire after emergency services extinguished the flames

People look at the explosion site from behind the safety barrier on Tuesday

The government said in a statement: ‘Despite the efforts by medical teams, we lament four new deaths today, bringing the total to 18.’

‘Of the 212 people treated by health workers, 127 have returned to their homes and 85 people are still hospitalised, including four in intensive care.’

The government warned locals to brace for power cuts in the aftermath.

It added that 13 fuel storage tanks were out of service while five tanks were unaffected.

Dozens of people came forward to help in whatever way they could.

Accountant and business manager Mariame Diallo said she was going around shops collecting donations and taking them to a drop-off point at a mosque.

‘We are in the process of collecting everything that goodwill brings us,’ said Abdouramane Sylla, another volunteer.

‘We have a vehicle loaned by the city hall to transport this material.’

International help was also on hand. A 24-member team of Senegalese rescuers, including 15 military doctors and eight firefighting specialists, arrived late Monday, Senegal’s defence ministry said, adding that further teams would follow.

France’s foreign ministry said on social media that a French assistance and support team is on ground in the country.

And the United Nations said in a statement it was providing tents, water tanks, mobile toilets, medicines and other essential supplies.

Those near the fuel depot shared images and videos of the bright flames

The fire was brought under control later that afternoon but smoke was still rising from the site the next day and soldiers were preventing traffic from entering

Residents of Conakry watch the smoke from the fire rise from the sidelines

Scared residents watched as the sky was lit up orange after the explosion

Dozens of people came forward to help in whatever way they could. Kaloum’s residents collect debris fallen from buildings on Tuesday, the day after the explosion occured

After authorities urged people to stay home Monday, some workers headed out on Tuesday, but others feared another explosion.

‘I’m waiting to see how the day is going to go before going over there, because my office is a few minutes from the port and from the fuel depot centre,’ Lamine Diallo said.

In central Conakry, offices, banks and insurance offices remained closed, and the district around the port is deserted after residents fled.

Service stations are temporarily closed across the country over concerns of fuel shortages, and many people avoided taking their cars, though the government said Tuesday that fuel supplies had resumed across the nation.

‘The government ‘wants us to believe that there will not be a fuel shortage, which I doubt,’ lorry driver Souleymane Traore said.

The government said it was carrying out an assessment of fuel needs and supplies.

Guinea has been ruled since September 2021 when a junta led by Colonel Mamady Doumbouya overthrew civilian president Alpha Conde.

Doumbouya has promised to hold elections and restore civilian rule by January 2026.

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