Death Toll 100 in Ethiopia Blast but Most Nearby Residents Escape

Fires still smoldered Wednesday in a southern suburb of Addis Ababa demolished by a huge explosion at an ammunition dump Tuesday.

Ethiopian Red Cross official Tebebe Yemani Berhan said the massive death toll feared earlier had not materialized. He said Tuesday’s early-morning blast razed 5,000 houses and killed more than 100 people.

But rescue workers who sifted through the rubble overnight found far fewer bodies than expected. Most people in the shantytown appeared to have fled to safety before the fires took hold.

“We expected to find many bodies under the roofs but there were very few. It’s a miracle,” Tebebe said.

The Ethiopian People’s Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF), the rebel group that captured the city and took power last week, blamed saboteurs linked to ousted military dictator Mengistu Haile Mariam for the blast.

The charge raised fears of the start of an urban guerrilla campaign against the new interim government.

But Western diplomats said the rebels seem to be well in control. They said they do not believe that Mengistu’s supporters are numerous or that they have much support among the people of the capital.

At the scene of the explosion, grenades and bullets were still exploding Wednesday, more than 24 hours after the ammunition dump caught fire and spread to a nearby fuel depot, causing a massive blaze.

People stood outside flimsy dwellings destroyed by the explosions with what few possessions they had salvaged.

Wrecked, burned-out trucks littered the area. Bullets and sacks of food were scattered around.

Some residents said the blast could have been caused by a stray bullet or grenade during an exchange of fire between armed looters and Democratic Front fighters before dawn Tuesday.

The northern-led Democratic Front has pledged to hold talks with opposition groups before July 1 on creating an all-party transitional government ahead of democratic elections.