The president of Seychelles declared a state of emergency on Thursday after a blast at an explosives depot injured almost 200 people and rippled through businesses and homes, sending shock and confusion across the archipelago off the coast of East Africa.
The explosion, which took place on the main island of Mahé, caused “massive damage” to an industrial zone called Providence and the surrounding areas, the president’s office said in a statement.
Video footage posted on social media and aired by the state broadcaster showed a fireball lighting up the night sky early Thursday. The blast damaged commercial buildings and offices, flattened some homes in the area and left a deep gorge in the ground.
At least 178 people were injured by the blast, the president of Seychelles, Wavel Ramkalawan, said at a news conference on Thursday.
There had been concerns for years about the stock of explosives and the way they were stored, Mr. Ramkalawan said. The Civil Construction Company Limited, where the blast happened, has supplied crusher and quarry products for construction since 1998, according to the company’s website.
It was not immediately clear what might have caused the explosion. Mr. Ramkalawan did not elaborate on the government’s concerns about the explosives or their storage. Investigators were looking into the blast and would publish their findings, the president said.
“This is a first for Seychelles,” Mr. Ramkalawan told reporters.
“In order for us to put this under the microscope, in order for us to allow the police to do their investigation without people interfering,” he added, “I felt it was necessary for us to have a state of emergency.”
Seychelles, an archipelago comprising 115 islands, is home to more than 100,000 people. A popular tourist destination, it is considered among the most prosperous countries in Africa, with a gross domestic product per capita of more than $15,800, according to the World Bank. But rising sea waters and recurrent torrential rains have meant the island remains vulnerable to the effects of climate change.
Heavy rains and flooding before the explosion also contributed to the state of emergency, the president said, with homes uprooted and roads closed. Three people died during the overnight floods, he said.
The explosion caused windows to crack more than two miles from the depot at a bed-and-breakfast next to Seychelles International Airport, said Tina Adrienne, the manager of The Runway Lodge. She said the blast happened after 2 a.m. local time. A three-star hotel less than a mile northwest of the explosion was closed on Thursday because of damage from the blast, an attendant at the hotel said.
Seychelles authorities closed all schools on Thursday and asked residents to stay at home, except for emergency and essential workers. The authorities in the island nation said that the airport and ferry services between islands remained operational.
The state of emergency was lifted at 6 p.m., President Ramkalawan announced, but he said the industrial area where the explosion happened would remain closed to the public for safety reasons.
He also commended the medical workers and volunteers who came out to support those affected by the explosion and floods. “The people of Seychelles showed unity in the midst of the adversity that they were going through,” he told reporters. “They showed that they cared.”
