People have been killed and injured after a massive fire broke out at an ammunition depot in Chad, causing major explosions, senior government ministers said.
Foreign Minister Koulamallah Abderaman said the fire took place at a military depot in the Goudji area of the capital N’Djamena.
President Mahamat Idriss Déby expressed his condolences to the victims and their families, without specifying the number of victims.
Video footage, which has not been verified by the BBC, shows explosions lighting up the night sky.
Witnesses said they could be heard for miles.
Journalists working for the AFP news agency said the fire caused guns to fire into the air.
There were “explosions of ammunition of all calibers,” a French official, who requested anonymity, also told the agency.
One resident told Reuters he saw three injured people on the street, while another said his neighbor had been murdered.
“Loud explosions woke us up,” said Moustapha Adoum Mahamat.
“Our house was shaking as if someone was shooting at us. Then we saw a big fire in the military camp and smoke and things exploding in the air,” he said.
“We could see artillery flying over us.”
Mr Abderaman, the foreign minister and government spokesman, urged the public to remain calm after the explosions.
President Déby wrote on Facebook: “Peace to the souls of the victims, sincere condolences to the grieving families and speedy recovery to the injured.”
The cause of the fire is not yet known and the president has promised an investigation.
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