Sierra Leone: Fatal explosions hit Freetown

Fire fighters have so far recovered the bodies of at least 17 people who were killed as a result of three separate explosions in the centre of the capital Freetown. The blasts also caused the hospitalisation of five other seriously injured people. It is not clear what might have cause the explosion which happened in shop belonging to a Lebanese trader jammed with people busy buying second-hand clothing. Early reports said a gas leakage might have caused the blasts. Most Sierra Leoneans depend on gas cookers for cooking.