Arrival of French and Moroccan medical aid in Brazzaville

PERSISMA – Of Moroccan and French medical teams arrived in Brazzaville to provide emergency assistance after the explosion Sunday in an ammunition dump that killed at least 180 dead and 1,340 injured, officials said Tuesday from sources.

“The French arrived around 5:00 (4:00 GMT). They will deploy in the morning after a consultation with the Congolese authorities who will share their needs and priorities,” he told AFP a French diplomatic source.

The French aid plane was carrying a medical team of 25 people and 5 tons of material.

Consisted of soldiers, the Moroccan team arrived late Monday night and must install a field hospital, said a Moroccan official told AFP. “We also await the consultation with the authorities,” he said.

The Moroccan contingent account “173 people including 20 doctors and 16 nurses,” the source said.

Since Sunday the three hospitals of Brazzaville are saturated by the number of injuries and lack equipment and medicines, a nurse had told AFP.