Military Base Accident Triggers Series of Blasts

An accident at a munitions depot caused a series of large explosions in Nigeria’s commercial capital of Lagos, sending fireballs and smoke into the sky and causing panicked residents to flee.

State and military officials went on TV to appeal for calm, saying the blasts were not an indication of military unrest but were due to an accident at the Ikeja military base.

Windows were shattered 6 miles away at the international airport, where flights were canceled.

A police officer said the blasts apparently were touched off by an explosion at a gas station. A senior army officer said he feared that there would be many casualties given the location of the armory, near a barracks and a residential area.