Papua market fire kills 11 in Indonesia, police say

A market fire in Indonesia’s Central Papua province killed 11 people, including six children, local police said on Monday.

The fire was first seen shortly after midnight in the town of Paniai and spread to several shophouses, local police spokesman Henry J. Manurung said. He said officers found 11 people dead with burn injuries: five adults and six children.

The children were aged between two and nine years old, Henry said.

The fire burned for more than three hours and destroyed at least 40 kiosks and houses, despite the use of fire trucks and water cannons. Henry said tightly packed houses and stalls and the intensity of the blaze made firefighting take longer.

Authorities were still investigating the cause of the fire.