A MASSIVE explosion has ripped through the holiday island of the Seychelles flattening buildings and prompting mass evacuations.
The picturesque island’s authorities have declared a state of emergency after the enormous blast at around 2am local time.
Seychelles’ residents were awoken by the enormous explosion on Mahe
Twitter/ bbcHuge swathes of the island have been damaged by the explosion[/caption]
APDrone images show the devastation at the site of the explosion[/caption]
Twitter/ bbcThe blast was triggered by a store of explosives used by a construction firm[/caption]
Seychelles‘ President Wavel Ramkalawan has ordered everyone to stay indoors amid the devastation.
The president’s office warned the blast on the main island of Mahe had caused “massive damage”.
Mahe – the biggest of Seychelles 115 islands – is just 16 miles long and 10 miles wide, smaller than the Isle of Wight.
The small country is essentially at a standstill with at least 100 people hurt according to early figures.
Soldiers have been deployed to try and deal with the devastation, with one telling local media it is like a “war zone”.
“If this explosion had occurred during the day, there would have been many deaths,” he told Today in Seychelles.
Buildings have been destroyed, roads cracked and damage felt across huge swathes of the island.
The force of the explosive shattered windows of homes and shops.
The Seychelles welcomes nearly 335,000 tourists every year – including some 30,000 Brits and is a popular destination for honeymoons.
Footage of the explosion shows the enormous fireball light up the night sky with a deafening boom at around 2am local time.
Sunrise revealed the extent of the devastation – with the industrial estate at the heart of the explosion completely devastated.
And the destruction from the explosion has been combined with heavy flooding due to torrential rain.
Seychelles, a former British colony, is situated in the Indian Ocean off the coast of Africa – and is home to just 100,000 people.
The blast erupted when four containers of explosives used by a quarry company went off.
Damage has been reported up to 2.5 miles away from the explosion.
Schools are shut and hospitals have been closed to all but emergency cases.
The UK government has advised any Brits on the island to stay inside until further notice.
President Ramkalawan said: “For the last 10 years there were major concerns about the stock of explosives.
“Four containers of explosives blew off… My heart is heavy right now and I know many families are being affected.
“I was shocked to see Providence, Petit Paris and Cascade in such a state.
“It was as if we went through a war.”
The Seychelles airport remains open to flights despite being damaged in the enormous explosion.
AFPDamaged buildings are seen following the explosion[/caption]
AFPThe explosion’s damage was combined with flooding from heavy rain[/caption]
AFPPeople gather to asses damages at a shop in the Seychelles[/caption]
AFPThe damage has been described as like a ‘war zone’[/caption]
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