Fire has gutted an electoral commission depot in Kinshasa, capital of the Democratic Republic of Congo, in the violent run-up to a presidential vote.
Election officials said voting machines had been destroyed in the blaze, which broke out overnight.
The cause of the fire has not been confirmed. Black smoke could still be seen over the site on Thursday morning.
The campaign to elect a successor to President Joseph Kabila on 23 December has been marred by deadly clashes.
The president’s mandate ended in 2016, but elections have been repeatedly delayed.
Dozens of opposition supporters were killed in protests demanding that he step down.
The fire at the electoral commission warehouse broke out at around 02:00 local time (01:00 GMT).
An electoral commission official said some electronic voting machines had been destroyed in the blaze, but did not say how many.
The BBC’s Louise Dewast in Kinshasa says several opposition candidates have called for these machines to be banned, as they believe they could be used to rig the vote.
Mr Kabila is backing his former Interior Minister, Emmanuel Ramazani Shadary, in the election.
The vote is expected to be a tight contest between him, opposition leader Felix Tshisekedi and business tycoon Martin Fayulu.
DR Congo has not had a peaceful, democratic transfer of power since independence from Belgium in 1960.
BBC
