Three die in blast at munitions storage facility

Janzur: A fire, followed by an explosion at an ammunition warehouse at a naval academy in western Libya killed three people, including two officers, a Libyan spokesman said.

It was not clear what caused the overnight blaze in the town of Janzur, 14 miles west of the capital of Tripoli, said Masoud Abdal Samad, the spokesman of the Libyan navy.

Four people were also wounded in the incident.

Mr Samad said the dead included Brigadier General Ahmed Ayoub, the head of the academy, and Brigadier General Salem Abu Salah, who ran the naval college.

The third person who died was not identified.

Libya slid into chaos following the 2011 Natobacked uprising that overthrew and killed the country’s longtime dictator Muammar Gaddafi.

The oil-rich country is now ruled by rival authorities in Tripoli and the country’s east. Eastern-backed forces had fought a months-long offensive to capture Tripoli but the campaign ended in failure last year.

Berlin: A 26-year-old was detained in Berlin twice after throwing snowballs and other projectiles at the US consulate and scuffling with security personnel while yelling slogans against outgoing President Donald Trump, police said.

The Afghan citizen living in Berlin, and whose name was not given in line with privacy laws, appeared outside the consulate in the district of Dahlem at 3pm, yelling slogans and throwing snowballs.

Security officials handcuffed the man and claimed he then hit his own head against a police vehicle, briefly knocking himself out.

He was taken to hospital for treatment before being released.

At 10.30pm he reappeared at the consulate and was apprehended after throwing two cans at police officers. It is alleged he again hit his head against a police car but suffered no injuries.

He was released by police but is under investigation for causing property damage and bodily harm.

Mamuju: Shops and petrol stations were reopening in a quake-hit Indonesian city yesterday where debris still covered streets and searchers continued to dig in the rubble for more victims.

Immediate food and water needs have been met and the local government has started to function again in the hardest-hit city of Mamuju and the neighbouring district of Majene on Sulawesi island, the National Disaster Mitigation Agency’s spokesperson Raditya Jati said in a statement.

Thousands of people are sleeping outdoors, fearing aftershocks, and the streets of Mamuju were still covered in debris.

Security officers toured the city in a patrol van with a loudspeaker, urging people to observe Covid health protocols as petrol stations reopened and markets attracted large crowds.

A total of 79 people died in Mamuju and 11 in Majene from the magnitude 6.2 earthquake that struck early on Friday.

More than 30,000 people had to flee from their damaged houses, and nearly 700 others were injured, many seriously, according to the agency’s data.

Mr Dahlan said 12,900 evacuees remained in shelters in Mamuju and Majene in West Sulawesi province yesterday.