A fire in the country’s easternmost Papua region razed a market and killed 11 people, including six children, police said.
The fire was first spotted in the town of Paniai in Central Papua province shortly after midnight yesterday, and it quickly spread to several shophouses, local police spokesman Henry J. Manurung said.
“During the inspection, officers found 11 victims who had died with burn injuries. Of the 11 victims, five of them were adults, while the other six were children,” Henry said.
The kids were aged between two and nine years old, he added.
The fire, which raged for more than three hours, destroyed at least 40 kiosks and houses, despite the deployment of fire trucks and water cannons.
Authorities were still investigating the cause of the fire. — AFP
