9 killed, 46 injured in fire, explosions at Chad munitions depot

At least nine people have been killed and 46 others injured following a fire that triggered explosions at an ammunitions depot in the Chadian capital of N'Djamena, Abdelmadjid Abderrahim, the country's health minister, said on Wednesday, reported Xinhua.

The cause of the fire and explosions, which occurred late Tuesday, is not yet known, Abderrahim told a press conference, which was also attended by five other ministers.

"All the information can be verifiable by the press. Many rumors speak of dozens and dozens of deaths. It is completely false," Abderaman Koulamallah, the country's foreign minister and government spokesman, told reporters.

Local media reported that civilians, including children, were among the victims.

Earlier Wednesday, Chadian President Mahamat Idriss Deby Itno visited those injured and the disaster site, located at the city's Goudji neighborhood.

"The situation is under control. The state will take care of those that were injured," Deby told reporters after the visit.

"This serves as a lesson to us concerning the construction of weapons warehouses in cities. We need to abide by international norms," he said, adding that a commission has been set up to investigate the tragedy.