WORLD BRIEFS

REPUBLIC OF CONGO: Chaos after arms explosion

Families desperately crowded outside morgues Wednesday while others tried to get past the police tape blocking access to the wasteland that now stretches over a square mile of Brazzaville. It's a tableau of twisted metal, punctuated by the unmistakable smell of death. More than three days since a fire in an arms depot set off a series of catastrophic explosions, no coordinated rescue effort has begun, officials say, making it increasingly unlikely that any more people will be pulled alive from the flattened homes, churches, businesses and government buildings. The force of the detonation blasted leaves off the trees. At least 246 people were killed as the fire catapulted shells, mortars, and rockets into the densely populated neighborhood of Mpila, according to national radio.

GAZA STRIP: Uncertainty on Israel-Iran

Gaza's ruling Hamas sent conflicting signals Wednesday on whether it would stay on the sidelines if war breaks out between Israel and Iran. A spokesman said Hamas didn't have enough firepower to enter a regional war. Later, a senior official reportedly threatened "retaliation with utmost power." The comments coincided with speculation that Israel might strike Iran to prevent it from obtaining nuclear weapons. Such concerns were heightened by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's tough rhetoric during his visit to Washington this week. Hamas spokesman Fawzi Barhoum told The Associated Press that the group has only "humble weapons that aim to defend and not to attack." Later, Iran's Fars news agency quoted another Hamas official, Mahmoud Zahar, as saying that "retaliation with utmost power is the position of Hamas with regard to a Zionist war on Iran." There have been increasing signs of rifts in Hamas.

AFGHANISTAN: Avalanche toll rises to 47

The death toll from an avalanche Sunday that buried a village of 200 people in northeastern Badakhshan province has risen to 47. Rescuers were digging through the snow for survivors and bodies of the dead.