In Lomé, the Agoe Assiyéyé market went up in smoke. A major fire broke out overnight and lasted until early morning in this market in the Togolese capital. The firefighters, supported by some goodwill, had difficulty putting an end to it. Report from the scene of the tragedy.
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With our correspondent in Lomé, Peter Sassou Dogbé
The market was completely ravaged by flames. This morning, the perimeter of the disaster was completely sealed off by the police. The warehouses are on the ground, charred. The embers are still hot.
The traders, who come to the news, are massed behind the security barriers. They are devastated: “ Do something, save us! » they say. All night, firefighters struggled to put out the blaze.
This is incomprehensible and unacceptable, laments this poultry seller: “ Normally, the fire brigade should be near the market, so that if something goes wrong they can react immediately. We called the fire brigade, they didn’t react quickly. The whole market caught fire! What does it mean ? There are no firefighters! It’s all wood! It’s too much. »
The mayor of the commune of Agoe-Nyivé 1 and some local notables came to try to calm things down. Adanbounou Akoété, mayor of the commune: “ It’s a holiday season. Our mothers, our sisters, are today more concerned by this situation, they are inconsolable, so we are trying by all means to reassure them “. A crisis unit has been set up not far from the town hall to accommodate traders in distress.
In a press release, the government reports “ three quarters of the market area consumed “.
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