MADRID Jan. 13 (EUROPA PRESS) –
At least six people have died in a chemical warehouse fire in the southern Benin city of Cotonou, while authorities have asked residents in the area to avoid consuming unprotected food until new notice.
The fire took place on Saturday around 2:00 p.m. (local time) and caused numerous injuries, so the death toll may increase in the coming hours. In addition, considerable material damage has been recorded that has affected infrastructure in the area, as reported by Bénin Web TV.
The Beninese Minister of the Interior and Public Security, Alassane Seidou, issued a statement this Sunday in which he warned of “obvious risks of environmental contamination pending the usual investigations”, while he reported that the National Police has opened a investigation to determine responsibilities.
“The first investigations by the firefighters revealed that the incident occurred in a building that served as both a home and a warehouse for dangerous products, including aluminum sulfate. Loss of life due to poisoning, material damage and obvious risks have also been recorded. of environmental pollution,” reads the statement.
Seidou, who has conveyed his “sincere condolences to the families of the victims” and has wished a speedy recovery to those injured “in this unfortunate incident”, has invited residents “to refrain from consuming any food (stored well water in an open container, foods, animals, plants) located within a radius of 100 meters around the epicenter of the fire.
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