Fears over power blackouts after Guinea blast destroys fuel stocks

An explosion at an oil terminal in Guinea's capital Conakry, which killed 14 people and injured 190, could lead to electricity outages as the majority of the terminal's fuel tanks are out of service, the government said late on Monday.

The blast at the West African nation's main oil terminal rocked the Kaloum administrative district in downtown Conakry in the early hours of Monday, blowing out the windows of nearby homes and forcing hundreds to flee.

The government, which has launched an investigation to determine what caused the explosion, said 13 fuel tanks at the Kaloum depot were out of service as a result of the incident while five tanks were not affected.

"The government informs the population that due to the destroyed fuel stocks, the electricity supply may potentially be affected by outages," it said, adding that the fire was under control as of Monday evening.

Earlier, firefighters had battled to contain the blaze with towering flames and clouds of black smoke visible from miles away.

Guinea is not an oil producer and has no oil refining capacity. It imports refined products, which are mostly stored in the Kaloum terminal and distributed via trucks across the country.