During the afternoon of 7 March 2021, a series of four explosions occurred at a military barracks in the neighborhood of Nkoantoma, a district of Bata, Equatorial Guinea.

Equatoguinean President Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo attributed the disaster to negligently stored explosives on the base that detonated after nearby farmers cleared their fields by setting them on fire.

[15] In a statement read by broadcasters of state television channel TVGE, President Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo blamed the explosions on the negligence of those in charge of protecting the munitions on the military base.

On 9 March, the government declared Bata a catastrophic zone and set up an initial emergency fund of 10 billion XAF (20 million USD) to address the disaster.

[16][17] The explosions scattered a significant amount of munitions into the surrounding areas, leading some people to pose with the unexploded ordnance on social media.

[12] The Spanish Foreign Minister, Arancha González Laya, responded to the request the next day, announcing that Spain would be sending humanitarian aid immediately.

[21] A flight from Torrejón Air Base near Madrid arrived on 10 March filled with over 2,600 kg (5,700 lb) of medicine, surgical products, and other medical supplies worth about 60,000 EUR.