A fire broke out in an electoral commission building in Kinshasa in Democratic Republic of Congo in early hours of Thursday, officials said.

This tragedy happened, 10 days ahead of presidential elections that have been foreshadowed by violence.

The blaze came after three people were killed on Wednesday in clashes with police on the sidelines of an opposition rally in eastern DR Congo.

The fire broke out around 2am in a building where election materials were being kept, the head of the Independent National Election Commission (CENI) said.

A thick cloud of black smoke was still visible above the city by early morning, AFP reporters said.

The cause of the blaze was not immediately clear but the run-up to the vote has seen a wave of violence.

On Wednesday, clashes erupted in Kalemie, a town on Lake Tanganyika, as opposition candidate Martin Fayulu was campaigning there.