Mozambique ? A fire broke out and explosions rocked Mozambique’s national weapons depot in the capital on Thursday, killing at least nine people and sending thousands streaming from their homes in panic, officials said.

President Armando Guebuza appealed for calm on national television as firefighters and military officials tried to control the blaze. Health Ministry spokesman Edgar Cossa told Mozambique television that there were at least nine fatalities, including one child.

The area around the depot was sealed off by police as ambulances rushed casualties to the main hospital. Downtown streets were filled with people fleeing the area, with hundreds preparing to sleep in the countryside and others searching for loved ones.