20120314
AFP
Countries that stock weapons and ammunition in urban areas should remove them to other places, a UN official said Tuesday, after 223 people died when a munitions dump in Congo exploded.

"We can only encourage countries that keep powder kegs in cities to do everything so that this does not happen again," said Abou Moussa, head of the United Nations Regional Office for Central Africa.

"I hope that other countries that have weapons in their city centres become aware of this situation ... that other countries in the same situation take advantage of this situation and remove these weapons."

The March 4 blasts in the Congolese capital Brazzaville, blamed on a short-circuit and fire, destroyed hundreds of homes around the depot.

So far 223 bodies have been recovered, of which 159 have been identified.

More than 2,300 people were injured in the explosions, which left some 14,000 people homeless.