Africa's Biggest Second-Hand Clothings Market Destroyed By Fire In Nairobi

According to a report on BBC Africa,  a huge fire has destroyed large parts of East Africa's biggest second-hand clothing market in Kenya's capital, Nairobi, as thousands of people have lost properties and other valuables in the inferno at the Gikomba market.

The blaze spread quickly through the market and firemen extinguished it several hours after it began. The cause of the fire is still unclear but witnesses say it may have been started by an electrical fault. It was indeed a chaotic scene as people tried to salvage their belongings.

The market which is visited daily by thousands of people from East Africa to buy clothes and food, reportedly has a monthly turnover of $1.1m (£700,000), says the BBC's Abdi Noor in Nairobi.