DOHA: Qatar's interior ministry said on Monday the authorities were counting the casualties after a large fire broke out in the capital's main Villagio shopping centre, but did not disclose any numbers.

Authorities are "counting the losses caused by the fire, whether human or material," the ministry said on its Twitter feed.

It said that civil defence teams have managed to contain the blaze, and that a news conference will be held later on Monday to "elaborate on the cause of the fire and human casualties."

Footage posted online showed black smoke billowing from the shopping centre as emergency vehicles rushed to the scene.

Copyright AFP (Agence France-Presse), 2012

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