(Reuters) -Fire has destroyed the national parliament of the Marshall Islands, fire and police officials in the Pacific Island nation said on Tuesday, adding the blaze had since been put out. The Marshall Islands Fire Department said in a telephone interview that half of the parliament building, known as the Nitijela, had been burnt down […]
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Marshall Islands parliament burns down in overnight fire
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(Reuters) -Fire has destroyed the national parliament of the Marshall Islands, fire and police officials in the Pacific Island nation said on Tuesday, adding the blaze had since been put out.
The Marshall Islands Fire Department said in a telephone interview that half of the parliament building, known as the Nitijela, had been burnt down in a fire that broke out overnight.
The remaining structure cannot be used, a police official told Reuters by telephone, confirming the parliament had been destroyed.
A fire truck had responded to the blaze, he added.
The Pacific archipelago, midway between Hawaii and Australia, has a population of around 42,000, with half living in the capital Majuro.
Its major diplomatic relationships are a compact of free association with the United States, which provides economic assistance in return for military access, and diplomatic recognition of Taiwan.
President Hilda Heine’s spokesperson did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Taiwan Foreign Minister Lin Chia-lung expressed his condolences to the country for the fire.
Taiwan will remain in communication with the Marshall Islands’ government and “provide necessary assistance in a timely manner”, the ministry added in a statement, without elaborating.
(Reporting by Kirsty Needham in Sydney; Additional reporting by Ben Blanchard in Taipei; Editing by Lincoln Feast.)