Authorities: 17 dead in nightclub fire in Cameroon’s capital

By EDWIN KINDZEKA MOKI
Associated Press

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.