At least 72 people were killed and hundreds injured in an explosion at an arms depot near Maputo airport in Mozambique, the government said yesterday.

"In total there are 72 dead," said ministry of health spokesman Ivo Garrido on national television.

"There are about 360 injured," he added.

The country's largest armoury exploded into a series of blasts near the impoverished neighborhood of Magoanine at around dusk Thursday on the outskirts of the capital causing widespread panic in the city.

Exploding weapons in the armoury ignited those around them, leading to the series of blasts lasting until about 1930 GMT Thursday.

The explosion of bombs, mines and rounds of ammunition could be heard around the city and caused a large amount of damage to nearby buildings, shattering the glass and windows in many offices.

Witnesses said that several missiles could be seen flying from distances of up to 30 kilometres (20 miles) from the scene of the blast.

"It's the biggest armoury in the country. It contains thousands of tonnes of weapons and ammunition," said Miguel Barreiro, a United Nations official in charge of the country's disarmament program.

President Armando Guebuza, speaking on state radio Thursday night, appealed for calm among the citizens of Maputo following the explosion.

"Our defence forces are working to assess the situation. We call upon all our citizens to be calm until the situation is rectified," Guebuza said in a five minute speech on the national television channel TvM.