Nairobi/Dar es Salaam, Feb 17 (DPA) A munitions store in the Tanzanian economic centre Dar es Salaam exploded, leaving an unknown number of people dead, a news report said Thursday.

The explosion, which occurred overnight, also injured several people, The Citizen newspaper reported on its website, without providing further details of the casualties or the cause of the incident.

Several residential and military buildings were destroyed, and an adjacent housing estate had been evacuated out of precaution, the report said.

A similar explosion in Dar es Salaam two years ago killed at least 11 people and injured hundreds.