Funeral held for the victims, Aug. 2, 2004.The death toll from the supermarket fire on the outskirts of Asuncion, Paraguay, rose to 325 on Monday.(Xinhua/Reuters Photo)

Son of the supermarket owner to meet his lawyer, Aug. 2, 2004.(Xinhua/Reuters Photo)

The owner of the supermarket(R) and his son(L) are accused of deliberately closing the doors when the market caught fire so that people could not leave without paying, Aug. 2, 2004.(Xinhua/Reuters Photo)

Kins of the victims are in deep grief at the funeral, Aug. 2, 2004.(Xinhua/AFP Photo)

A 4-month-old baby has been rescued from the fire. His mother was badly injured, while his father died in the fire.(Xinhua/AFP Photo)

    BUENOS AIRES, Aug. 2 (Xinhuanet) -- The death toll from the supermarket fire on the outskirts of Asuncion, Paraguay, rose to 325 on Monday, according to reports reaching here 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 that 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. Enditem

Over 300 killed in supermarket fire

A burn victim is carried out by firefighters after a supermarket fire on the outskirts of Paraguay's capital Asuncion, August 1, 2004. (Xinhua/Reuters Photo)

Smoke rises from a supermarket on the outskirts of Paraguay's capital Asuncion, August 1, 2004. Reports say some 270 people have died in the fire which may have been sparked by the explosion of gas canisters. (Xinhua/Reuters Photo)

A burn victim is carried out by firefighters after a supermarket fire on the outskirts of Paraguay's capital Asuncion, August 1, 2004. Reports say some 270 people have died in the blaze, which appears to have started from a gas explosion, killing shoppers and workers trapped inside. (Xinhua/Reuters Photo)

     BUENOS AIRES, Aug. 1 (Xinhuanet) -- Paraguayan President Nicanor Duarte announced late Sunday a three-day national mourning from Monday for the victims in a fire that swept through a supermarket on the outskirts of the country's capital Asuncion, while a Paraguayan TV station reported that the death toll had surpassed 300.

    In an open letter to the public on Sunday night, Duarte promised that the government would do its utmost to find out the cause of the fire, according to reports reaching here from Asuncion.

    He also expressed his thanks to all the relief workers for their efforts, and to Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Uruguay and Colombia for their assistance.

    During a visit to the disaster scene earlier in the day, Duarte vowed to minimize the impact of the disaster.

    Earlier, the government confirmed that 256 people were killed and hundreds of others injured in the incident and that the death toll was expected to rise

    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.

    Police said firefighters and police are recovering bodies and rescuing the injured from the complex.

    Police said two explosions were heard moments before the fire broke out. The blasts were likely to be caused by gas leak of the gas canisters in the supermarket and subsequently ignited the devastating blaze that consumed a significant part of the supermarket within the shopping complex.

    Officials said there were concerns that the 30-meter-high complex might collapse.

    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 that 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.

    Hundreds of fire fighters, emergency workers, doctors, military servicemen and volunteers rushed to the site and fought the fire. The flame was controlled three hours later and was extinguished at about 6:00 p.m. local time.

    The rescuers were still recovering bodies from the debris, and nearly 130 bodies have been identified but many others cannot be identified because of being badly burned.

    Argentina and Spain have offered Paraguay emergent medical aid.Enditem