Albania ? A massive explosion at an Albanian army ammunition dump on Saturday killed at least five people and injured 243, including many children, authorities said.

Footage from Albanian television showed a massive ball of fire shooting up from the site in Gerdec village, about six miles north of the capital, Tirana.

Shrapnel and shell fragments rained down on homes and vehicles, and houses more than a mile away were damaged by the blast. The initial blast set off a series of explosions, and ammunition continued to detonate into the night.

Prime Minister Sali Berisha, who described the blasts as an accident, said during a late-night news conference that the death toll stood at five, but that the number was likely to increase.

He said 243 people had been registered as injured. By Saturday night, 142 remained hospitalized, and 12 of them were in serious condition.