Explosions, fire at arms factory in Sudan's capital

KHARTOUM (REUTERS) - A huge fire broke out after several explosions late last night at an arms factory in Sudan's capital of Khartoum, witnesses said.

Soldiers blocked roads to the Yarmouk ammunition factory where more blasts erupted as firefighters tried to contain the blaze, said a Reuters reporter at the scene in southern Khartoum. After two hours the fire had been almost extinguished.

The governor of Khartoum state, Abdelrahman al-Khidir, said some people had been taken to hospitals after inhaling smoke but otherwise there were no casualties, according to the state news agency Suna.

The governor said the cause of the fire and the explosions was unclear, but that nothing pointed to "external" reasons. He told state television the explosion had probably occurred in a storage hall of the huge complex.