20120305
AP
BRAZZAVILLE, Republic of Congo (AP) — Blasts rocked the capital of the Republic of Congo Sunday morning, shaking houses in Brazzaville and echoing across the Congo River to the capital of the neighboring country.

A top military official said a weapons depot exploded Sunday morning in Brazzaville. He asked for anonymity because he was not authorized to speak publicly. He did not give further details.

Witnesses said the explosions came from the north of the city and that the impact of the blasts threw open doors of houses in the city center. The explosions also prompted some residents of the northern part of the city to flee south.

It was not immediately possible to obtain further information from officials or witnesses, partly because phone networks were overloaded.

The blasts were also heard in Kinshasa, the capital of neighboring Congo. Government spokesman Lambert Mende said the blasts blew out some windows in the center of town, but that there were no reported deaths and that the situation had returned to normal after the blasts.

The Republic of Congo is often overshadowed by its much larger neighbor, Congo