Supermarket fire kills more than 250

ASUNCION, Paraguay, Aug. 1 (UPI) -- Explosions and fire perhaps triggered by a short circuit killed more than 250 people at a supermarket in Paraguay's capital of Asuncion at midday Sunday.

The death toll may well climb much higher, CNN reported, with witnesses saying customers appeared to be trapped inside the supermarket by blocked exits.

Hundreds of survivors were treated for burns and smoke inhalation.

Paraguayan President Nicanor Duarte Frutos visited the site of the fire which took firefighters seven hours to extinguish.

The Voice of America reported the fire was likely sparked by the explosion of gas canisters, either inside the supermarket or in the building's underground parking lot.