North Korea's Army said it will completely cut off roads and railways connected to South Korea starting from Wednesday, and fortify the areas on its side of the border, state media KCNA reported.

The announcement heralds a further escalation in activity close to the demarcation line separating the two Koreas, which had been rare in recent years until this year.

North Korea had already been installing landmines and barriers and creating wasteland along the heavily militarised border for months this year despite accidents, South Korea's military said in July.

The General Staff of the Korean People's Army said in a statement carried by KCNA that this was a response to war exercises that have been held in South Korea, which it called "the primary hostile state and invariable principal enemy", as well as frequent visits by US strategic nuclear assets in the region.

At least 34 people, including two babies were killed when a contraband fuel depot exploded into flames in southern Benin near the border with Nigeria on Saturday.

According to Beninese Interior Minister Alassane Seidou, “a serious fire occurred in the town of Seme Podji. Another 20 people were seriously wounded in the incident.”

"I can't really give you the cause of the fire, but there is a large gasoline warehouse here and cars, tricycles and motorcycles come from morning to evening,” he added.

Nigeria is a main oil and gas producer where fuel smuggling is very common along its borders, particularly when the government maintains a subsidy to keep fuel prices low.

The majority of the victims were burnt and they could not be not be identified.

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