LONDON, March 5 (UPI) -- London warned British nationals to be cautious when traveling in the Republic of Congo after blasts left at least 200 people dead in the African country.
British Foreign Secretary William Hague, in a statement, said he was "greatly saddened" by the number of casualties reported from a blast at a military ammunition depot. Officials in the Democratic of Republic said to remain calm, blaming the blast on a fire at the base.
Hague advised British nationals to remain on alert near the capital Brazzaville. He added that security was also tight in Kinshasa, the capital of neighboring Democratic Republic of Congo.
The weekend blast was felt across the river in Kinshasa, where the European Commission said displacement and conflicts are widespread. At least 1.7 million people are internally displaced and another 426,000 Congolese refugees are scattered across neighboring countries.
"The country is struggling with tremendous difficulties," Kristalina Georgieva, the European commissioner for humanitarian aid, said in a statement.
The European Commission said it would channel $77.8 million in humanitarian aid to DRC, Africa's second-largest country.
