A fire at a market in Indonesia’s eastern Papua region killed 11 people. Six children are among the dead.
Local police spokesperson Henry J. Manurung said the fire broke out shortly after midnight Sunday in Paniai town, Central Papua province, and quickly spread to several shops.
Henry said in a statement, “During the inspection, officers recovered the burned bodies of 11 people. Of the 11 dead, five were adults and six were children.”
He said the children ranged in age from two to nine years old.
The fire, which burned for more than three hours, destroyed at least 40 shops and homes. An investigation is underway to determine the cause.
Henry said, “The intensity of the fire, combined with how densely packed the homes and shops were, made it take considerable time to bring the fire under control.”
Earlier, in December, a fire at a seven-story office building in central Jakarta killed 22 people.
In 2023, an explosion at a nickel-processing plant in the country’s east killed at least 12 people.