YAOUNDE, Cameroon (AP) — Authorities in Cameroon say at least 17 people have died and seven others are seriously injured after a fire broke out at a nightclub and spread to an area where cooking gas was stored.
A government statement Sunday says a series of loud explosions erupted amid the blaze in the Bastos neighborhood of Yaounde, the capital.
The government suggested that fireworks had started a fire on the building's roof that spread.
The tragedy comes as the central African country hosts thousands of soccer players, fans, and officials for the month-long African Cup of Nations soccer tournament.
The nationalities of the victims were not immediately known and some injured people were taken to the hospital.
