A Sudanese army truck loaded with munitions exploded on Saturday in the capital, Khartoum, where the nearby airport was closed ”as a precaution”, an airport official said.
An army spokesperson said the blast had not caused any casualties.
”A series of explosions occurred on a truck loaded with munitions, which burned the vehicle,” said Brigadier General Othman Mohammed al-Aghbach, adding there had been no ”human loss”.
The airport official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said: ”The airport has been closed until further orders as a precautionary measure, given that it is not far from the munitions depot near where the explosion happened.”
Aghbach said the munitions went off because of the ”shaking” of the truck, which was being driven in an area close to the army headquarters in central Khartoum.
The area had been evacuated, Aghbach told the official Suna news agency.
Witnesses said the explosion caused a fireball, and columns of smoke could be seen rising into the air. Roads leading to the area of the blast were sealed off to traffic and onlookers were barred from approaching. — Sapa-AFP