Israeli Army Medics Assisting Equatorial Guinea Hospitals After Deadly Explosions

Some 60 Israeli active and reserve soldiers begin work in Equatorial Guinea after blasts at military complex kill over 100, with president blaming negligence

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Members of Equatorial Guinea's military following explosions at an army base, last week.
Members of Equatorial Guinea's military following explosions at an army base, last week. Credit: REUTERS/Jose Luis Abecara Aguesomo

A delegation of medics from the Israeli army started work at local hospitals in Equatorial Guinea after powerful explosions caused the deaths of more than 100 people and hundreds of injuries last week.

The team of some 60 active and reserve medical corps soldiers from all professions split up to work at three hospitals and toured community clinics to help local doctors, according to a delegation statement.

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Residents of the area who were injured by the explosion were invited to the Israeli medical emergency room that was opened to receive free treatment, the statement said.

They also began training staff at local hospitals in treatment and how to manage emergency situations with multiple casualties.

Meanwhile, members of a search and rescue team surveyed the blast sites with local government engineers to assess the damage and identify buildings in need of maintenance and repair.

People search through rubble in Bata, Equatorial Guinea, last week.Credit: REUTERS/Jose Luis Abecara Aguesomo

A series of explosions at a military complex in the city of Bata led to more than 100 deaths of soldiers and civilians. President Teodoro Obiang blamed the accident on "negligence and inattention."

Equatorial Guinea, an oil-rich Spanish-speaking West African country of 1.3 million people located south of Cameroon, was a colony of Spain until it gained its independence in 1968. Bata has roughly 175,000 inhabitants.

Obiang has ruled the country for more than 40 years and kept it largely inaccessible.

The Associated Press contributed to this article.