Children among nine dead in Gaza market blaze: ministry

Palestinians put out a fire that broke out in a market in the refugee camp of Nuseirat in central Gaza Strip, on March 5, 2020. (AFP Photo)

Nine Palestinians including several children were killed after a fire broke out in a bakery in the Gaza Strip on Thursday, Palestinian authorities said, without specifying the cause.

Ashraf al-Qudra, a spokesman for the health ministry in the Hamas-run enclave, said 85 people were injured in the blaze in a market in the Nuseirat refugee camp in central Gaza.

Four of the dead were children, he said.

An official at the Civil Defence in Gaza confirmed the fire started in a bakery and "caused damage to dozens of shops and stalls."

He said the fire had been brought under control but did not give a reason for it.

A large plume of smoke rose into the sky and could be seen from a great distance, AFP journalists said.