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At least nine people, most of them firefighters, were killed and another seven injured on Wednesday while extinguishing a warehouse fire in the Argentine capital of Buenos Aires, local authorities said.
The fire in southern Buenos Aires so far claimed the lives of four Federal Police firefighters, two volunteer firefighters, two members of the Civil Defense and Emergency Guard forces, and one person who has yet to be identified, Argentine Security Secretary Sergio Berni said.
The raging fire caused a wall of the warehouse, used for storing paper files, mostly bank documents, to collapse on the firefighters and rescue workers.
"I want to express our condolences to the families of the deceased, our respect and honor to these men and women who gave their lives to save others," said Berni.
Argentine President Cristina Fernandez declared "two days of national mourning" due to the tragedy.
Dr. Alfredo Crescenti, director of the Buenos Aires Public Health System, said among the seven injured, "five have very serious multiple traumas."
Meanwhile, a police spokesman said the rescue team was still searching through the rubble, because more firemen might be still trapped.
The cause of the fire is still unknown.
