Fireworks blast kills nine

At least nine people were killed and another 21 injured in a blast at a fireworks store in the heart of the Sri Lankan capital Colombo tonight.

Firemen and police were trying to bring the ensuing blaze under control late into the night. The cause of the blast or the damage to property was not known immediately.

Most of the victims died after inhaling fumes from the fireworks, said Anil Jasinghe, the chief medical officer at Colombo Hospital where the injured were being treated.