The death toll from the supermarket fire on the outskirts of Asuncion, Paraguay, rose to 340 on Monday. The owner of the supermarket and his son are accused of deliberately closing the doors when the market caught fire so that people could not leave without paying, according to reports reaching Beijing from Asuncion.

The authorities said the death toll may rise further as rescue workers removed the debris and searched for more bodies.

The fire broke out at a time when the supermarket was crowded with Sunday midday shoppers. The reports said nearly 1,000 people had been inside the shopping center, which is part of the complex that also houses offices and an underground parking lot.

The shopping center belongs to the Ycua Bolanos chain and includes several fast-food outlets in addition to the store.

Witnesses said that doors within the complex had been deliberately closed so that people could not leave without paying, and this had hampered people seeking to escape. The owner of the complex has surrendered himself to the police in the wake of the blaze, but denied categorically that there had been an order to close the complex's doors.

Many countries have offered condolences to Paraguay over the tragedy.

(Xinhua News Agency August 3, 2004)