Bomb attack kills child, wounds 32 Indian peacekeepers in east Congo - UN

Record ID: 79907

  • Title: Bomb attack kills child, wounds 32 Indian peacekeepers in east Congo - UN
  • Date: 8th November 2016
  • Summary: GOMA, DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO (NOVEMBER 8, 2016) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF INDIAN PEACEKEEPERS LOOKING FOR SHRAPNEL IN UNDERGROWTH WITH METAL DETECTOR ARMED PEACEKEEPER PEACEKEEPERS LOOKING FOR SHRAPNEL WITH METAL DETECTOR VARIOUS OF PEOPLE REMOVING PIECES OF METAL FROM PLASTIC BAG, POLICE OFFICER WATCHING (SOUNDBITE) (Kiswahili) GOMA RESIDENT, KAVIRA MBAKU, SAYING: "We heard a very huge blast, I ran outside to see what was going on and I saw two peacekeepers lying on the ground while others were being helped into a vehicle. There was also a dead body that was covered on the ground." PEACEKEEPERS PLACING ITEMS IN BAG, WALKING AWAY GROUP OF PEACEKEEPERS STANDING ON SIDE OF THE ROAD
  • Embargoed: 23rd November 2016 14:40
  • Keywords: Democratic Republic of Congo DRC bomb attack peacekeepers United Nations
  • Location: GOMA, DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO
  • City: GOMA, DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO
  • Country: Congo, Democratic Republic of
  • Topics: Bombing (non-military),Conflicts/War/Peace
  • Reuters ID: LVA00157L5M4N
  • Aspect Ratio: 16:9
  • Story Text: A bomb attack on United Nations peacekeepers in the east of Democratic Republic of Congo killed a child and wounded 32 Indian troops on Tuesday (November 8), the U.N. mission there, MONUSCO, said.
    Provincial governor Julien Paluku told Reuters that an eight-year-old girl and one peacekeeper had been killed in the blast.
    An imam who witnessed the explosion told Reuters three peacekeepers had been killed, but the mission did not immediately confirm any deaths.
    The blast hit the peacekeepers while they were out on a morning run in the city of Goma.
    Local resident Kavira Mbaku said she ran outside after she heard a huge blast.
    "I saw two peacekeepers lying on the ground while others were being helped into a vehicle. There was also a dead body that was covered on the ground," she said.
    MONUSCO explosives expert on the scene confirmed an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) attack against peacekeepers the U.N. said, adding that five peacekeepers were in serious condition in hospital.
    Attacks with explosive devices are extremely rare in Congo and it was not immediately clear who might have been responsible.
    Paluku said Congolese and United Nations investigators were trying to determine the exact nature of the device.
    About 18,000 uniformed U.N. personnel operate in Congo, where millions of people died in regional conflicts between 1996-2003 and dozens of armed groups continue to operate.
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